Chelsea could benefit from Cuadrado option, but no return allowed

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte will not be able to bring back Juan Cuadrado to Stamford Bridge from his three-year loan spell at Juventus due to not having a recall clause in the deal, reports the Daily Mail.

What’s the word?

The 28-year-old joined the Serie A side from the Blues on a second loan spell last summer following the appointment of Conte as Jose Mourinho’s permanent successor.

Last season, the winger played for Juve on a season-long loan deal, but when he returned to Turin last summer, he agreed to stay with the Serie A outfit for three years on a temporary contract.

The Daily Mail states that the agreement between Chelsea and Juventus did not include a release clause, meaning that Conte will be unable to use the winger until his time in Italy is up.

That snag may have frustrated the Blues boss at the weekend when he watched Cuadrado score an impressive goal in a 1-0 win over Inter Milan.

The publication claims that Chelsea are receiving £4m per season while the winger is out in Turin, and there is an £8.4m option for him to join Juve permanently.

Will Chelsea rue leaving out a recall clause?

The old saying ‘don’t fix it if it isn’t broken’ can apply to Conte’s side at the moment as they have a healthy nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

The team have lost just once in their last 18 top-flight games and they look pretty much unstoppable at the moment in the 3-4-3 formation.

Despite that, a damaging injury to a big player could hamper Chelsea’s progress, even though they do have some big names on the bench.

Having Cuadrado as an option would have been welcomed given that he has been performing well over in Italy.

In 13 starts, the winger has scored two goals and has created four assists for his teammates, and while he may not be first choice for Chelsea, the frustration will be there for the club should he continue improving.

As mentioned, even if Conte decides that he wants to bring him back, the loan deal prevents him from doing so for the next two seasons.