Marc Cucurella is a fitness concern for Chelsea heading into their away clash with Arsenal this week.
The Spain international has become a key cog in the Blues’ defence since his £60 million signing from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022.
But the west London outfit have now been without their curly-locked full-back since a 2-2 draw with Leeds United.
Is Marc Cucurella fit to face Arsenal?
Since then, Cucurella has also missed his side’s 4-0 win against Hull City in the FA Cup and their agonising 1-1 draw against Burnley.
The Blues could really use their strongest XI to get back to winning ways in the league, but they may need to wait a little while longer for Cucurella to be part of that.
“I can’t give an exact timeframe on Marc,” Liam Rosenior said in his pre-match press conference.
“He suffered a hamstring injury just before half-time in the Leeds game. It's a real shame because he's an outstanding player, and one of the best left-backs in the world.”
It therefore seems Chelsea will be without Cucurella a little while longer, but Rosenior is happy enough with his deputies.
“It’s a shame not to have Marc available but we have Jorrel [Hato] and we have Malo [Gusto] who can play on that side, so we have really good players that can cover,” Rosenior added.
“Of course, the sooner Marc gets back, the better.”
This is the Spaniard’s second hamstring injury so far this season, being struck down with a similar issue around the festive period, which kept him out for two games.
Before that, he hadn’t been injured since undergoing ankle surgery in December 2023, which kept him out for around 10 weeks, his longest ever lay-off.
Cucurella has appeared 148 times for Chelsea since his 2022 signing, scoring nine goals and 12 assists.
He’s valued at €50m, according to Transfermarkt.
