It would be entirely unfair to single out one player for Chelsea's absolutely disastrous 2022/23 season. So we're not going to do that.
We are going to talk about Marc Cucurella, though, and how he definitely hasn't justified Chelsea spending around £60million on him in August 2022. Initially, it looked as if the Spaniard was brought in to provide support and competition to Ben Chilwell. And the fact he could slot in at left centre-back was something that appealed to Thomas Tuchel.
Cucurella was a man in demand. Manchester City wanted him with Pep Guardiola understood to be a big admirer of the left-back but it was Chelsea who ended up with his signature.
However, it's been a bit of a disaster for the 24-year-old at Chelsea thus far. A lack of concentration and focus to where he is on the pitch, coupled with sloppy spells in possession have made Blues supporters become increasingly frustrated with Cucurella at Stamford Bridge so far. There have even been calls for Chelsea to cut ties with the Spanish full-back after just one season at the club.
He was supposed to provide stern competition for Chilwell – that's what his £60m price tag would suggest anyway. That hasn't been the case, however, with Chilwell by far and away Chelsea's stronger option out of the two.
If the club did decide to offload Cucurella in the summer, he would likely have a lot of interested parties after him. It would make more sense as well if he wasn't part of the new manager's plans because Chelsea would still be able to get a decent fee for him. Wait another season, see his performances get even worse and then the damage will be too much next summer and it would be more difficult to sell him for what the club believe is an acceptable fee.
It appears Chelsea may already be on the lookout for someone who can provide stronger support and competition to Chilwell who has struggled with consistent injury problems in recent seasons in west London. According to a report from Foot Mercato in France, Aston Villa left-back Alex Moreno is on Chelsea's radar despite making a move to Villa Park in January of this year.
Moreno has impressed during his short time in the Premier League thus far and is reportedly attracting interest from the Blues as well as Premier League champions Manchester City. What Moreno has done this year in England has been superb and he has caught the eye of many with his performances. Chelsea, should they plan to sell on Cucurella after an unsuccessful campaign, should be looking at someone like Moreno to help Chilwell.
It is by no means a position they desperately need to look at, especially when you look at Lewis Hall, who is just 18 years old, who has come in at times this season and impressed at left-back or wing-back. From a business point of view, however, Chelsea might be able to sell Cucurella and buy Moreno and still come out with a profit. That would be the aim anyway.
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