Chelsea’s first arrival of the summer came from Sunday’s opponents Brentford - but it wasn’t a player.
Back in March, it was reported that a deal had been agreed with the Bees that saw set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva complete a move to Stamford Bridge just a couple of months later. The deal reportedly saw the Blues pay a compensation fee of between £750,000 and £1 million.
The coach was Chelsea's first dead ball specialist since Antony Barry followed now England manager Thomas Tuchel to Bayern Munich in April 2023. Cueva joined Brentford in July 2020.
His work at the G-Tech Community Stadium didn’t go unnoticed. In the 2022/23 season, The Bees netted 16 goals from set-pieces, a total only bettered by Liverpool.
So far this season, Chelsea have scored five goals from set-pieces. It’s a total only bettered by four other teams (Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Everton).
It’s no surprise Arsenal are the leaders in set-piece goals so far this season, having found the net eight times from dead ball scenarios so far this campaign. Given Arsenal’s success under the guidance of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, Chelsea have taken similar steps with Cueva.
Like the new Chelsea coach, Jover has previously worked with Brentford, spending three years with the club between 2016 and 2019. He then spent three years with Manchester City, before moving to the Emirates Stadium in 2021.
Cueva will be hoping that he has a similar impact at Chelsea as Jover has had at Arsenal. He can start to show he has when Chelsea take on former club Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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