MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 02:30:18| >> :120:9053:9053:

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
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144


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!