‘1,000% he’ll play in Spain’ – Chelsea starter tipped to leave
Xabi Alonso’s appointment has lifted the mood of the Chelsea fans and the FA Cup final defeat is largely forgotten already. The reality is, most were worried about the long-term future of the club rather than the result of that Wembley game. Even if the Blues had won, this season would have gone down as a failure. But with the Spanish manager now set to come in, many are hoping for brighter days ahead.
It has been suggested that Chelsea will try to sign two or three ready-made players for Alonso this summer. But at the same time, it will be equally important to keep quality ones as well.
But unfortunately, owing to the club’s failures over these past four years, some senior players might already have made up their minds to leave this summer. Marc Cucurella might fall under that category.
According to Solo para Cules TV, Jota Jordi said that Cucurella will play in Spain next, tipping him to join either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid:
“Next year he’ll play at 1,000% in Spain. At Barca or at Atleti.”
“Starting Monday, some movement is expected from the culés with his entourage.”
Chelsea starter has been tipped to leave for Spain
Cucurella has been a key player for Chelsea for quite some time. He struggled in his first 18 months at the club and a loan move to Manchester United was even considered at one point.
But he would turn things around in the second half of the 23/24 campaign, when Mauricio Pochettino started to play him in an inverted role. Since then, he has remained a starter for Chelsea.
Cucurella is one of the players who is actually expected to benefit the most from Alonso’s arrival. The full-back contributes a lot going forward in the Spaniard’s sides. Especially if he decides to go with three at the back.
Cucurella has already shown he can contribute going forward. He scored often and in important moments under Enzo Maresca last season.
Could Xabi Alonso’s arrival change Marc Cucurella’s mind?
It remains to be seen whether a Cucurella exit is set in stone or not. He is one of the players who has openly criticised the club’s transfer strategy in recent times. He might not have been handed a suspension like Enzo Fernandez. But that is a key detail that many might have swept under the carpet by now.
It is possible that the arrival of Alonso could change his mind. It has been claimed already that the manager wants to keep both Cucurella and Fernandez.
That is understandable, considering Chelsea cannot afford to lose any more quality. That being said, many also believe that Geovany Quenda could be a great fit in that role.
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade.
His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow.
Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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