Antonio Conte wants Juan Cuadrado - could Chelsea flop make shock return?

The start of Chelsea's tailspin under Jose Mourinho can be traced back almost to the moment one man joined the club.

Which is not to say that the link between Juan Cuadrado's disastrous signing on February 2 last year and the plunge from champions-elect into the relegation-threatened abyss, can be in any true way linked to the winger.

But Cuadrado's procurement and the dreadful personal performances that followed it, and later those of the team, stand as a perfect example of all that has gone wrong at Chelsea over that period.

Now, with Antonio Conte ready to take the reigns in SW6, we are led to believe the 27-year-old currently on-loan at Juventus is central to his plans.

Conte pursued then-Fiorentina player Cuadrado while boss of Juventus back in summer 2014. The failure of the Bianconeri to follow his prompts in that direction, along with the loss of fellow key target Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal, are understood to have been key in his sudden resignation from the top job in Italian club football.

Conte didn't resign, as such, over Cuadrado, though he did resign over the lack of investment in a squad upon whose performance he would ultimately be judged – and the Cuadrado situation was a key part of that.

That, in itself, should send a signal to Roman Abramovich when it comes to Conte's own plans for Chelsea this summer and beyond.

The ease with which Chelsea were able to buy the player in the following window perhaps backs up Conte's reservations about Juve's transfer market muscle – though questions remain about the price paid, an Andre-Schurrle-shaped £23-26m. What followed, of course, shamed all parties.

Cuadrado started just four Premier League matches, ending none of them, and looked as far off being a top-flight player as anyone has seen in a Chelsea shirt for some time.

Questions at the time, regarding whose signing he was, have been further complicated by Conte's imminent arrival on the scene.

It is simply a conspiracy theory too far that the Colombian was being acquired and put in cold storage for some planned arrival of Conte: Chelsea were at this stage fully committed to a future under Mourinho, and went on to extend the manager's contract in the summer.

But whether this was a costly mistake by Mourinho, anxious to avoid losing those Schurrle funds, or a player foisted upon him by Michael Emenalo, is still not entirely clear.

The former seems more likely, given the repeated failed attempts by the then manager to integrate him into the squad from the bench, not to mention the involvement in the deal of his own agent Jorge Mendes.

Given what we have learned since, it is possible to envisage a scenario where Cuadrado arrived bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but found the Premier League to be a culture shock on and off the pitch. Mourinho, by this stage already exhibiting a shortness of patience with struggling players, may well have made errors in judgement about how to get the best out of the new arrival.

That wouldn't be such a stretch, given the similar scenario that ultimately resulted in the catastrophic loss of form in a number of first-team players once the new season commenced. By the time the title was lifted, the Colombian looked like he wanted to be elsewhere – and soon he was.

So is there really any chance of a comeback?

In the context of those who have arrived since, Cuadrado almost looks like a reasonable signing. Pato (on loan), Matt Miazga, Marco Amelia, Michael Hector and Papy Djilobodji have all arrived (to varying extents) – and, as things stand, have a whole minute of first-team football between them.

Of Baba Rahman, Danilo Pantic, Falcao (on loan), Pedro, Kenedy and Asmir Begovic – who make up the remainder of the last 11 players signed by Chelsea – only the latter two, or perhaps three, look likely to have any realistic future with the club.

Cuadrado, meanwhile, has impressed having finally made it (on-loan) to Juventus, and Conte appears confident in turning him into a Chelsea player yet. If he can do that, it will be like a new signing for zero outlay.

The biggest spanner in the works however could be Cuadrado himself – who, having quickly reacclimatised to Italian football and life, seems reluctant to return to his parent club. Before taking up his new posting, it is just possible Conte may find himself in Turin a fair bit – trying to persuade a certain Colombian of the merits of life in London.