MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 20:32:59| >> :120:3656:3656:

In profile: Chelsea's new signing Cristian Cuevas

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.

Cristian Cuevas strikes for goal at the Under-20 World Cup.© PA Photos

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.

Cristian Cuevas celebrates scoring a goal for Chile.© PA Photos

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.

Cristian Cuevas tussles for possession against Colombia.© PA Photos

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.

ID:94815: cacheID:94815:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6378:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Chelsea's Juan Mata celebrates scoring the opener in the FA Cup 4th round replay against Brentford on February 17, 2013
Read Next:
Chelsea open Mata talks?
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!