Marc Cucurella has gone above and beyond by publicly questioning Chelsea’s transfer strategy under the BlueCo ownership group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. In a shocking interview with The Athletic while on international duty with Spain, the 27-year-old said he was upset that the club had mostly signed young players since the consortium took over in 2022.
Chelsea lost 8-2 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League, and they have only won four of their last 12 games in all competitions. The Blues have lost three of their last four Premier League games, dropping to sixth place with 48 points from 31 games. Cucurella thinks the team’s lack of experienced players was a major reason they didn’t advance to the next round of the European Championship.
“We have a good core of players. The foundations are there. But to fight for major trophies such as the Premier League or the Champions League, you need more. Signing young players only might complicate achieving those goals.”
“We lacked experience. For a lot of players, it was the first time playing a match of that calibre, and we paid the price. You can always make a mistake, but we should have handled it better.”
The Spain international also criticised the club’s choice to fire former manager Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day, saying that the change in the middle of the season made things less stable at Stamford Bridge. He said the players were having trouble following Liam Rosenior’s tactical instructions because they had many games to play and not enough time to train.
Chelsea Vs. Port Vale in FA Cup Quarter-Final as Internal Problems Grow
Cucurella’s comments come at a very bad time for Chelsea. Enzo Fernández is also unhappy and has hinted that he wants to leave. The Blues are in a fight with Liverpool for what could be the last spot in the Champions League from the Premier League. They are currently in sixth place, just one point behind the Reds.
Chelsea will try to refocus when they play again this Saturday. In the FA Cup quarter-finals, they will play League One team Port Vale at Stamford Bridge. The game will start at 5:15 PM BST on April 4. Port Vale are in the last eight for the first time since 1954, making this a classic David vs Goliath match.
Chelsea’s FA Cup run is one of their last real chances to win a trophy this season, so Rosenior’s team can’t afford to make any more mistakes. Senior players are growing increasingly unhappy, which could ruin the rest of their season.