Chelsea fans were at their wits’ end with Marc Cucurella almost before he arrived at the club.
Firstly it was down to the fee we paid. It was so clearly excessive, and has massively limited our ability to operate since.
Secondly there was the results of the signing in terms of squad building – popular academy players Lewis Hall and Ian Maatsen were moved on because there was now no room for them backing up the Spaniard.
Then there was the association with Graham Potter, who moved to join his former player just a month later. The bad smell of Potter remains on Cucurella.
None of these things are his fault of course, but it put him in a tough situation from the day he arrived. His performances haven’t helped either – he’s had some shocking games, and has been part of two years of Chelsea football where we’ve seen some of the worst defending we can remember in a generation.
But the comeback is on – after ending this season strongly, he’s looking great for Spain at the Euros, and they’re just one game away from winning it with the Catalan as an ever present.
Changing perspectives back home
These performances have gone a long way to convince Chelsea fans that he can still look good, if used in the right way in the right setup.
In a piece on Substack today, Simon Phillips even noted some of the extra benefits of having Cucurella in the squad:
“He is just a really great guy, a great character, and I’ve heard he’s a really funny and entertaining person to have around Cobham to help keep morale up.”
You can already sort of see that in the way he’s used to promote club content and is often used in the promotional stuff. If he keeps playing well and keeps being a positive dressing room presence, maybe he can be part of a successful Chelsea team?
