SM
Monday, January 6
Upcoming predictions and previews

In profile: Chelsea's new signing Cristian Cuevas

:Headline: In profile: Chelsea's new signing Cristian Cuevas: ID:94815: from db_amp
Sports Mole takes a closer look at Chelsea's new 18-year-old Chilean Cristian Cuevas.

It has become apparent that Jose Mourinho was telling fibs when he recently informed the media that Wayne Rooney was his one and only target for the remainder of the summer. A top Premier League manager misleading the media? Surely not!

So, who has the Portuguese coach recruited? Gonzalo Higuain or Luis Suarez? Wrong. Joining the ranks at Stamford Bridge is an 18-year-old who has a real liking for getting forward.

While Cristian Cuevas may not yet be in the same stratosphere in world football terms as the aforementioned trio, many believe that he has the potential to one day join the elite.

Having risen through the ranks at O'Higgins, Cuevas is regarded to be one of the brightest prospects in Chilean football at this present moment in time.

He rose to prominence during January's Sudamericano Sub20, scoring during wins over Bolivia and Colombia as the Chilean youngsters qualified for Under-20 World Cup in Turkey.

There he was the youngest member of the Chile squad and featured in four of his nations' five encounters. They were eventually knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Ghana, but once again Cuevas had made an impression.

Chelsea were already well aware of Cuevas's talent, though, and invited him over to Cobham for a trial in December 2012 where he was accompanied by former Newcastle United midfielder Clarence Acuna. Tweets from the winger's account showed that he had enjoyed his stint: "Best week of my life" and a "dream come true to train with Frank Lampard," he wrote.

The Blues were impressed, but not enough to pay O'Higgins's £2.5m asking price. That alerted Udinese, who have a positive history when it comes to Chilean footballers in the form of Mauricio Isla and Alexis Sanchez. It prompted Chelsea into action and a fee in the region of £1.7m was agreed.

For that the West Londoners are getting a direct and pacey wideman, who can be devastating on the counter-attack. He can also operate at full-back, which has resulted in comparisons with Barcelona's Daniel Alves. Others believe that there are similarities between Cuevas's style and that of Angel di Maria at Real Madrid.

Although primarily left-footed, Cuevas is no shirker when it comes to using his weaker right foot. Time and again during the Sudamericano he cut inside to either have a shot or play a pass with his right boot.

He is also a competitive individual who does not take losing in the best of spirits - a statement highlighted by his red card for the Chilean youth side earlier this year.

The sheer traffic of attack-minded players in front of him at Chelsea will make establishing himself a difficult task this season. Rancagua-born Cuevas is more likely to be used in the development side with the odd outing in the Capital One Cup or a Champions League group encounter.

Chelsea have made a conscious effort of late to overhaul their transfer system, with more emphasis on younger talent. Cuevas fits the bill.

amp_article__94815 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2013-07-24 00:50:38:
html db last update - 2013-07-24 00:50:38 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Cristian Cuevas

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .