When Chelsea signed Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022, there was a lot of positivity.
Chelsea needed an alternative to Ben Chilwell and at Brighton, Cucurella established himself as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League.
He got off to a very slow start at Stamford Bridge but really improved in his second season under Mauricio Pochettino.
However, the 26-year-old seems to have gone up another level since Pochettino was replaced by Enzo Maresca.
Marc Cucurella has become more of an attacking threat under Enzo Maresca
Cucurella started in Chelsea’s 4-0 win against Southampton on Tuesday, helping his side to victory by scoring and being solid at the back.
His goal in the Blues’ latest triumph means he has now netted three times in his last 11 top-flight outings.
According to Squawka, that is more than what Cucurella managed in his previous 94 combined. Last season, the Spaniard failed to score at all in the Premier League, showing how much he has changed under Maresca.
The Chelsea head coach has him flying into the box at times, and Cucurella is capitalising on the opportunities that he is getting.
Chelsea have been linked with other left-backs, including Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez. Last month, it was reported that Chelsea were keeping tabs on Kerkez.
The club may need to sign a new left-back, especially if Renato Veiga no longer wants to play there or does not return to west London in the summer. But going into the 2025/26 season, Cucurella should be Maresca’s first choice for the position.
Marc Cucurella’s two other goals
As well as Southampton, Cucurella has also scored against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford in the current campaign.
It was the Spain international who broke the deadlock in Chelsea’s tight contest with Brentford in December, which the Blues ended up winning 2-1.
Cucurella was sent off after the full-time whistle after picking up a second yellow card, missing Chelsea’s following game as a result, a 0-0 draw with Everton.
From that point, Chelsea’s season started to go downhill and they have not really recovered. But maybe this win, which Cucurella played a part in, can be a turning point.
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