Chelsea is aiming to create even more depth at a position where it was more than lacking in the previous campaign, left wingback. Todd Boehly and Thomas Tuchel have now struck a deal for one of the most promising young Spanish defenders, which fills that gap. For a total of around £63 million, former Brighton wingback Marc Cucurella has signed with the Blues for six years. He made his Chelsea debut in the first contest of the league season against Everton, just 24 hours after signing for the west London side. The Spaniard played the final 15 minutes plus added time, and nearly racked up an assist to Raheem Sterling. He would’ve already tallied a goal contribution if it wasn’t for the timely Everton defense.
The Blues’ promising left centerback, Levi Colwill, will spend his season with the Seagulls on loan, but most importantly, there is no option to buy in the exchange. Given his youth at just 19 years old, Colwill could end up being a talented centerback who, down the line, could be more than serviceable for the Blues. Colwill will be able to play under a system where Graham Potter has had the tendency of playing the same system that Tuchel does in west London.
In past years, the Blues would most likely have stuck an option to buy clause into the Colwill deal, but the new direction of the club has Chelsea prioritizing the future by bringing in some of the most elite young footballers into the academy and the first team. From signing Carney Chukwuemeka, Gabriel Slonina and Omari Hutchinson to now giving Colwill a chance in the future of the team, Boehly is making sure the development of youth is important on top of maintaining a contender in the top flight. He’s also retooling the first team, which is where Cucurella comes into the picture in the present.
After the signing was finally complete, Tuchel expressed his thoughts on the club’s new acquisition, stating:
"“He’s young, hungry, mobile and a very intelligent player…It helps in-depth and in quality, and it helps with Ben, to escape the pressure of I have to deliver and we need you absolutely now…And I think he can play very well in the back three, so it’s a bit of a profile of Azpilicueta on the left side. He gives us many options.”"
Now that we know how the gaffer feels about the new addition, it’s time to learn a little bit more about Cucurella himself. Let’s answer the question, who the hell is Cucurella?
1. History
Despite some people marveling at the fee that was paid for Cucurella—which was a record fee received by Brighton—the Spaniard fits the system that Tuchel employs nearly seamlessly, as his history reveals. Cucurella began his career in the Barcelona academy, making a name for himself on loan at Getafe CF under manager Jose Bordalas. Bordalas is known as one of the most intense managers, preaching a direct approach where he mostly played in a higher position on the left flank. Cucurella built a lot of his dynamism from his time at Getafe, growing into a solid player with the ball at his feet, and someone the Blues can rely on to swing in dangerous crosses.
Despite only making one appearance for the Spanish National Team in 2021, Cucurella has a silver medal on the U23 Spanish side from the Olympics in Japan. Barcelona never gave Cucurella a shot in the first team, and while the club looks for a wingback for the 2022/23 campaign, Xavi certainly wishes he had a player with the class of Cucurella at his disposal.
In 2019, Barcelona would buy Cucurella back after his loan spell at Eibar, but just a few days later, he was off on loan to Getafe and the rest is history. It only took one season in the Premier League for teams like Chelsea and Manchester City to attempt to lure him away from Brighton. The Blues know him far too well as the Spaniard set up the game-tying goal that was slotted home by Danny Welbeck back in December to snatch a win away from Tuchel’s side. He won the Brighton Player of the Season, as well as the Supporters’ Player of the Season in just his first campaign in the Premier League with the Seagulls, which speaks to his popularity and quality.
2. Is he any good?
During his two seasons in La Liga, Cucurella was top 25 in shot-creating actions, ahead of Luka Modric in the category in the 2019/20 season. Despite not being as productive for Brighton, Cucurella had four goals and eight assists at Getafe, demonstrating the fact he is more than capable of adding to the long list of Chelsea goal contributors. On top of his creativity, Cucurella finished the 2021/22 Premier League campaign at the top of the list at Brighton in total passes completed and second in successful tackles.
He was second in the entire English top flight last season in tackles in which his team won the ball at 62, far more than any of his fellow Seagulls, on top of being top five in the league in successful pressure percentage at 37.6 percent. While his pressure percentage was better than any Chelsea player last season, Cucurella collected more blocks than any of the Blues in the previous campaign, as well. This includes Thiago Silva. Given the combination of speed, awareness and elite defensive output on top of offensive creation, Cucurella adds a whole new layer to the Blues’ attack that fits the Tuchel system to a tee.
While the first match of the season was not perfect by any means from a Chelsea perspective, Cucurella showed flashes of what he could do in his new kit. From an overlooked Barcelona academy defender to a standout at Getafe and now suiting up for one of the largest clubs in England, Cucurella possesses all the tools on both sides of the ball to succeed.
Cucurella is an all-around talent who can provide something in the final third, all while putting the dirty work in to prevent the breakthrough on the other end. He can make those essential tackles in the final third and create chaos in the box on the other end with his wand of a left-foot. His time at Getafe under Bordalas served Cucurella extremely well as he learned how to press, find the next best pass forward and contribute in a well-organized attacking system.
3. What does this mean for the defenders?
Marcos Alonso is now on his way out the door and heading to Barcelona. In replacing him, Cucurella gives the Blues a much more dynamic and all-around defender with prolific attacking tendencies. He has proven he can perform at an elite level in the Premier League already, which is another positive. If his debut during the second half on the road at Goodison Park was any indication of what is to come for Cucurella, the left side of the pitch for the Blues this season is going to cause plenty of headaches for any opposition in the English top flight.
Cucurella provides both competition with Ben Chilwell on the left side of the pitch and gives Tuchel a multitude of options in the back line with his ability to play more than just one position. As Chelsea looks to discover a right-sided defender, Cucurella gives the Blues an extremely creative left side that now has two wingbacks that are nearly interchangeable, and there is no downgrade in quality. As either a left center back, or a left wingback, Cucurella has demonstrated the versatility and creativity to add an extra punch to both the attack and defense.
If any of the centerbacks need some time to recover, Cucurella has experience out wide in a back three with Brighton last season. When Tuchel really wants to get creative, Cucurella has experience higher up the pitch, but with the way the wingbacks play in his system in west London, there is going to be plenty of time for him to attack opposing back lines with purpose. He has the luxury to be able to make mistakes once in a while because he knows that his recovery pace will allow him to make up for the error. Brighton’s extremely conservative way of playing football did not give Cucurella the chance to unleash what he truly did at Getafe, but with his new home at Stamford Bridge, the Blues may hold the key.
In order for Chelsea to capture the trophies that eluded it last season, an innovative footballer like Cucurella who provides even more depth is going to unlock the success. Some people are going to look at the amount it costs to bring a player like this on board, but if the Blues have a chance to secure a young footballer in a position of need that has a little bit of everything in his back pocket, they certainly cannot pass that up.
What do you make of Cucurella’s addition? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!