Marc Cucurella is about to reach the anniversary of three years as a Chelsea player. It’s fair to say that the defender has had so many ups and downs at Stamford Bridge.
There has been a lot of change at Chelsea in the last few years, which means that Marc Cucurella has worked under the likes of Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, and Enzo Maresca. Thankfully, the Blues kicked on last season with Maresca as the current head coach.
Maresca claimed Cucurella has improved under him, and we would agree that the 2024/25 campaign was the left-back’s best year in West London to date.
It’s worth remembering that Chelsea wanted to sell Cucurella after just one year at the club. If you compare that to now, he’s now one of the key players in the squad, putting in a gigantic shift last season.
| Competition | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards | Minutes played |
| Premier League | 36 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2,992 |
| Conference League | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 559 |
| Club World Cup | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 570 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 135 |
| Carabao Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
What Marc Cucurella said in his first interview as a Chelsea player
Back in the 2022 summer transfer window, Chelsea completed the signing of Cucurella from Brighton.
After signing a six-year deal at Chelsea, Cucurella said via Chelsea’s official website in August 2022: “It’s a long time, but for my best football and when you go to a new club, you need some months to adapt.
“I’m not pressured, in my mind it’s not six years, it’s just about working hard for the team, and enjoying my football. It’s just the papers, I’m happy to stay here more years. It’s a big step for my career. I have the opportunity to play in the Champions League, to fight to win trophies, to stay high in the league. If I play good for a good club, I have more opportunities to play with the national team.”
Marc Cucurella was spot on that he would need time
When reflecting on Cucurella’s first-ever interview as a Chelsea player, he was spot on about a couple of things.
First of all, the aggressive defender was absolutely right when he hinted he would need time to adapt. Even though he cost in excess of £60m (BBC), he was widely criticised at the start of his Blues career as he struggled to replicate the form he previously showed at Brighton.
The reality is that the full-back has now performed a complete U-turn to become a real fan favourite. Cucurella is currently very happy at Chelsea, where he’s still under contract for another three years.
The second thing he was right about a few years ago was his claim about his international career.
Cucurella has earned 17 senior international caps for Spain, with all but one of them coming since he joined Chelsea. On top of that, he’s become an automatic starter for his country, playing a key role in winning the Euro 2024 tournament.
The journey that Cucurella has gone on during three seasons at Chelsea should inspire others to stick with it and work hard if they get off to a bumpy start at the club.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
