Chelsea will be hoping that Xabi Alonso’s arrival as a manager makes Stamford Bridge a more attractive destination for players. They need all the help they can get at this point in time after four unsuccessful seasons under BlueCo, which has resulted in the club’s reputation taking a hit. They won’t even be playing in Europe next season.
Naturally, players might be reluctant to join Chelsea. On the other hand, there are also those who might want to leave the club.
So, it will be up to Alonso to convince both. And it appears that he might already be having a positive impact in this regard.
Marc Cucurella is someone who has been linked with a move away from Chelsea for the last few months. But it appears that having talked with Alonso, he might have a more positive outlook on the project at hand. According to MARCA, the Spanish international, currently away at the World Cup, said:
I’ve spoken with him and he inspired a lot of confidence in me. I’ve also spoken with Grimaldo and Borja, who have worked with him, and they spoke very highly of him. The project seems very interesting.
Alonso has already spoken with Cucurella
Atletico Madrid seem to be the most interested of the teams that have been linked with Cucurella. Barcelona have been suggested as a possible destination as well. But they have their sights set elsewhere.
Chelsea, on their part, are believed to be looking for a transfer fee north of €50 million. In the modern football transfer market, that is a fair figure.
One has to remember that Cucurella is still just 27 years old. He might not have even entered his prime yet.
He is already proven in the Premier League and at the international level for Spain. If clubs are not willing to pay that to sign him, that should be a sign to Cucurella that they might not trust him enough.
Cucurella staying would be great for Chelsea
There has been all this talk about Chelsea signing Premier League-proven and experienced players this summer. Yet, for some reason, fans seem open to the prospect of Cucurella leaving.
Cucurella is both those things and more on top of that. He simply is one of the best left-backs in all of football.
So, it would be a problem if Chelsea let him go and replaced him with someone younger and less proven. It would simply be the same cycle being repeated again.
Ideally, one would want Cucurella to stay. Alonso seems to be of the same view as well. Hope the Spaniard views a future for himself at Stamford Bridge.
