26 September 2023 , 23:22
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Marc Cucurella has held talks with Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino over his future as he eyes a January exit from Stamford Bridge.
The left wing-back was poised to leave the Blues this summer but his proposed loan move to Manchester United broke down, with the Red Devils eventually completing the temporary signing of Sergio Reguilon from Tottenham instead.
Cucurella’s move to United partly broke down after he was surprisingly selected for Chelsea ’s EFL Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon, meaning that he would be unwilling to play for a third club this season – with a section of the Blues support booing him during the match.
The Spaniard has struggled at Stamford Bridge after a landmark £56million transfer from Brighton last summer. He failed to hit his top form throughout the campaign despite being reunited with his former Seagulls boss Graham Potter for six months during the season.
Despite brief highs – including a Man of the Match performance in the Champions League Round of 16 victory over Borussia Dortmund – it was a campaign of struggle for Cucurella, who had also been booed by his own fans during a February draw against West Ham. He has yet to play a minute in this season’s Premier League.
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Cucurella has now held talks with Pochettino over his future at Stamford Bridge and expressed his openness to a summer exit. He is happy living in London, but a return to Spain is also thought to appeal to the player. There have been suggestions of interest from Real Madrid, but the Spanish giants have Fran Garcia and Ferland Mendy in the position, while David Alaba can also deputise there.
The 25-year-old then lost his place in the Blues starting line-up in the closing weeks of the campaign to youngster Lewis Hall (who has subsequently joined Newcastle ), despite injury struggles for Ben Chilwell. The return of the England international has pushed him down the pecking order further, opening up the possibility of a move, while Levi Colwill has also been preferred in the position this season.
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Cucurella struggled during his debut campaign at Chelsea after starring for Brighton (Federico Guerra Maranesi/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Cucurella – who progressed through Barcelona ’s youth system but only played once at senior level, before starring at Eibar, Getafe and Brighton – has spoken of the added pressure to perform at bigger clubs, which can change a player’s mindset compare to others with lower expectations.
"I play all my career in a [smaller] club so we don't have this pressure," Cucurella told ESPN earlier this summer. "When you come to these big clubs, you feel this pressure and sometimes it is not easy to play with this pressure because you know you need to win every game.
"Sometimes you need to adapt as well to these situations, but this is part of life. Sometimes you have good years, bad years, but the most important thing is to learn and have energy to improve."