Frank Leboeuf says Cucurella is not good enough. Frank Leboeuf, a former Chelsea defender, recently asserted that Spanish left-back Marc Cucurella is unable to represent the Blues. Reece James and Ben Chilwell will hopefully start receiving regular playing time, he continued, adding that the signing was not worthwhile.
Cucurella was signed by Chelsea ahead of Manchester City in the summer transfer window. After Brighton & Hove Albion refused to accept a lower offer, the Blues were forced to pay over £60 million to sign the Spaniard.
Leboeuf argued that his old team made a mistake by signing Cucurella when speaking on ESPN. He stated: “We need Reece James and Ben Chilwell, so let’s hope they get back into shape as quickly as possible. Cucurella is no longer someone we want to see. The player is not strong enough for Chelsea, with all due respect to a man I don’t know. That’s all there is to it. We can tell that he doesn’t belong at this level, therefore it’s absurd that they paid £60m or £70m to sign him.”
Similar comments were made by Leboeuf earlier this season, who questioned if the defender was worth the transfer money. In August, he stated: “People will assume that I dislike him, but that is not the case. Cucurella has only appeared for Getafe and Brighton, therefore I don’t think £65 million is a lot to pay for a 24-year-old player who has played in 30 or 40 Premier League games. I believe the football world is becoming insane.”
Danny Murphy, a former midfielder for Liverpool, was not pleased with Chelsea’s summer splurge on Marc Cucurella. He said that the Blues might have used the money to sign a striker or a midfielder, both of whom they desperately needed.
On talkSPORT, he said: “There have been a few complaints and poor luck in losing your midfielders, but if you’re going to spend £60 million on a full-back when you already have [Marcos] Alonso, a Premier League champion, and [Ben] Chilwell, you might as well spend it on those two. You have two players who can play left wing-back who can cover it. You go out and spend more than £60 million on one, leaving yourself short in the pitch’s center and the striking area.”
Enzo Fernandez was ultimately acquired by the Blues for their midfield in the January transfer window, despite rumors that Christopher Nkunku would be joining the West London club in the summer.
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