La Liga giants Sevilla have reportedly entered the race to sign out-of-favour Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella.
According to Fichajes, Sevilla are scouring the market for a new left-back in light of the recurring injury problems of staple veteran Marcos Acuna in that position. And former Getafe and Eibar defender Marc Cucurella, who is currently not a part of Mauricio Pochettino’s plans at Stamford Bridge going forward, has surfaced as a possible answer to this problem.
The Blues’ transfer record has been hit-and-miss in recent times. It is fair to say there have been more misses than hits over the past few transfer windows.
A 12th-place finish last season and the current position of 11th owe themselves largely to transfer failings. Indeed, over £1 billion has been spent since Todd Boehly became chairman, and Chelsea have been a worse team off the back of massive spending.
Cucurella, who was a £62 million signing from Brighton in the summer of 2022, has been one of the most expensive signings made in the Todd Boehly era. But he has endured an underwhelming first season at Stamford Bridge and has tumbled down the pecking order since Mauricio Pochettino took charge.
The Spanish international made his first Premier League start in an unfamiliar right-back role in Monday night’s 2-0 victory over a dismal Fulham outfit. But that was due to Ben Chilwell picking up a hamstring injury last week. When everyone is fit, Pochettino favours either Levi Colwill or Chilwell for the left-back role. The presence of Ian Maatsen also complicates Cucurella’s position at Chelsea.
Cucurella could have also walked out the door in the final stages of the summer window, albeit on loan. Manchester United were tracking him as they needed a new left-back amid injury troubles. But after the Blues and the player disagreed with the break clause that the Red Devils wanted in the contract, the Mancunians instead opted for Sergio Reguilon.
The 25-year-old could soon see his Chelsea career end for good, though. Chelsea are prepared to cut Cucurella loose when the transfer market reopens in January, should Chilwell recover in time. It is claimed the Blues would prefer a permanent sale, though a loan for the second half of the season looks like a more likely outcome.
Despite his lack of game time, the Chelsea left-back has no shortage of suitors, with Real Madrid surprisingly among the top clubs circling for his signature. Sevilla are now interested in acquiring his services on a short-term loan deal, as they view the Spanish full-back as a valuable option to reinforce their defence on the left side.
Marcus Acuna was arguably the best left-back in Spain on form last season and was a sensation during Argentina’s World Cup triumph, providing a wily defensive present and excellent service to the forwards when possible.
However, his consistent injuries have hampered his performances for the Andalusian club, prompting him to start looking for an effective alternative. There’s also a cloud of speculation hanging over his head, since if he hadn’t suffered a hamstring injury in August, he would have sealed a reunion with Unai Emery at Aston Villa before the conclusion of the transfer window.
Signing Cucurella on a loan deal would be a very smart piece of business for Sevilla. But they will likely have to beat out stiff competition to land his signature.
