Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella insists he will not change his hairstyle despite having it controversially pulled shortly before Tottenham’s equaliser in the London derby on Sunday.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel was outraged after Cristian Romero’s actions at Stamford Bridge, which he believed merited a red card, with Spurs scoring from the subsequent corner through Harry Kane. Referee Anthony Taylor did not punish the incident, nor did video assistant referee (VAR) Mike Dean despite an extensive review.
Cucurella, a £62million summer signing from Brighton, is adamant that he will not make a change despite the Football Association (FA) not currently legislating hair-pulling as being against the rules.
“No, no [I will never get my hair cut], this is my style,” the 24-year-old said at Cobham on Wednesday. “For me, it is no problem. Before the game, I spoke with him [Romero] and it is a fight on the pitch. I have no problem with him and it is only an action in the game.
“Maybe it was an important action as it maybe changed the final result. I think we will have another opportunity in a few months and this is our opportunity.
"For me, yes [it is a foul] because it was clear. In the game, out on the pitch, I didn't see the video. But I think with the video it is very clear. This is maybe one error to the referee or the VAR. But sometimes the referees make good decisions, sometimes not good decisions.
“This is not my problem. The players are focused on the game and maybe we have to work hard to not concede this goal in the last minute in the next games.
“The referee in the stadium said they were checking a red card and for me, it's very clear. The video is very clear. At this moment, with the referee, I don't know what happened.
“Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. This is football and in this game, it was an error. But in another game, the referee takes a good decision.”
The FA, who have already charged both managers after their touchline bust-ups at Stamford Bridge, are now investigating Tuchel's comments about referee Taylor and the incident involving Romero and Cucurella.
Cucurella has had to be resilient during this summer window, with Manchester City trying to sign him only for Chelsea to hijack the bid.
He admits the price tag is high, with the Blues outbidding their rivals by over £20m, but says he is ready to repay them with trophies.
"The summer was busy, a lot of rumours,” he added. “When I was with Brighton in the summer, I thought it was a good moment for me to move to a big club and I think Chelsea are a big club. I am very happy to be here, they were very interested in me all summer, so I'm very happy.
"I am very happy because it's a lot of money and it's a bit of responsibility for me. I am happy because Todd (Boehly) and the gaffer were very interested in me coming here.
“So I am very happy to be here and I need to work hard, adapt to the team, and be ready to play well for the club.
“I think we have a good team, a lot of young players. Winning trophies is very difficult but we work hard all season for these moments.
“The team have the experience to win big trophies, and this is our objective this season. Obviously, the Premier League is one of the best (trophies to win).”
