Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona Transfer News & Rumors: Which Colombians Are Headed to Major Clubs?
This summer has belonged to Colombian soccer.
First the team excelled at the World Cup by finishing fifth overall and receiving rave reviews for its terrific attacking style. Then, the top Colombian star at the World Cup, James Rodriguez, made a record move to Real Madrid before goalie David Ospina made his move to London to play with Arsenal. But Colombians have continued to make headlines with more transfers impending.
The move garnering tremendous traction is the transfer of Radamel Falcao to Real Madrid. This rumor has been going on for almost a year, even before the former Atletico striker made his well-documented transfer to Monaco. Madrid's ties to Monaco have increased even more with the recent addition of James Rodriguez from the French side. Falcao's move to Madrid would certainly be an enticing idea for the Spanish champs, but does it really work for the Colombian?
While playing with Rodriguez would be tremendous for the chemistry, Falcao would head to Madrid as the second option up top. He is coming off a huge injury, and no one knows in what shape he is currently. Furthermore, Madrid has Karim Benzema who is coming off a terrific year with the club in which he scored 24 goals. He also had a terrific World Cup with three tallies, and he also signed a contract extension to remain with the club.
Falcao would have to prove his fitness, but his addition gives Los Blancos arguably the best striker in the world coming off the bench. He provides competition for Benzema and could even usurp the starting spot if he gets hot. The team certainly wins, but the player could wind up frustrated on the bench.
The same is set to happen to Juan Guillermo Cuadrado if he winds up at Barcelona. Rumors claim that the Spanish side covets the Colombian, but not necessarily for his attacking presence. Cuadrado has played as a right back, and everyone knows that Dani Alves is on his last legs.
Cuadrado would provide the team with versatility on the wings and his elite passing (he had four assists in the World Cup) gives the team creativity. He can also play in his more natural position as a right winger; the team could then have Lionel Messi, Neymar, Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez working alongside Cuadrado. That would arguably be the most dangerous attacking quintet in the world.
But Barcelona's attack is already clogged with a plethora of midfielders. Barcelona manager Luis Enrique seems interested in bringing Gerard Deulofeu into the mix on the right wing. He also reportedly sees Pedro Rodriguez as an option on that flank. Even Messi could find himself there in order to facilitate Iniesta and Xavi in the middle. That would probably force Cuadrado into a competition with Alves for the right back position.
Alves is well past his prime, and as the World Cup established, he is no longer an elite wingback. But neither is Cuadrado, and he could easily flop in that role. Barcelona's defense has always been fragile against the counter, and if Cuadrado does not remain disciplined, he could cause the side some grief.
And therein lies the second major issue: discipline. Cuadrado loves to dribble against opponents. When he is on his game, he is excruciatingly dangerous. But when he is not, he becomes frustrating to watch. That was the case in Colombia's 2-1 defeat against Brazil in the World Cup. The Colombian was repeatedly attempting to take on the entire Brazilian defense and was constantly losing the ball as a result.
This becomes all the more pertinent with Barcelona as the team is accustomed to its tiki-taka passing style. Enrique is looking to tweak the system substantially, but there is a likelihood that the passing game will remain, especially with Xavi remaining with the club this season.
The final major Colombian on the transfer market right now seems to Juan Fernando Quintero. The 20-year-old is said to have an even higher ceiling than James Rodriguez, and he showed some flashes of brilliance during the World Cup against the Ivory Coast when he scored the eventual game-winner. But he struggled to lead the offense against Japan in the third group match. In his final appearance against Brazil, Quintero showed some tremendous chemistry with Rodriguez (as he did against the Ivorians), and there are hopes that he will blossom into a versatile attacker.
Rumors have him heading to Arsenal, though there is some confusion about the offers being fielded to his current club Porto. In England, he would probably start on the bench, but would have the assurance of Arsene Wenger's loyalty. The Gunners manager is very patient with young prospects and rarely gives up on them; this often works to his detriment but would probably pay off in spades in this particular case.
Which transfer do you think is the most likely to take place? And which do you think would be most beneficial to the club and/or the player?
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