Five potential Cucurella replacements that Chelsea must target this summer | OneFootball

Chelsea have announced the departure of Marc Cucurella after agreeing a £51.8million transfer with Real Madrid.

Cucurella has been a key player for the Blues in recent years, having made over 150 appearances for the club – including in last year’s Club World Cup final victory over PSG.

How do Chelsea go about replacing the left-back? We’ve taken a look at five potential options.

Lewis Hall

The obvious move would be to bring the prodigal son home.

The Cobham academy graduate has established himself as one of the best young left-backs in the country over the past few seasons.

He was a controversial omission from Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, but there’s every chance he nails down a spot as England’s first-choice in that position in the coming years.

Hall wouldn’t come cheap, but Newcastle are balancing the books after failing to make Europe, and the early departure of Anthony Gordon shows they’re open to making a sale.

Unfortunately, Chelsea are in the same boat, but perhaps they could reinvest after offloading Cucurella and making another big-money sale (Enzo Fernandez?). There are also a lot of young, sellable fringe players who will struggle to find minutes next season. It’s BlueCo’s whole recruitment model, after all.

Valentin Barco

Admittedly not so much a “potential signing”, but bear with us. Chelsea haven’t actually announced the signing of the highly-rated 21-year-old from sister club Strasbourg, but according to Fabrizio Romano it’s a done deal.

Perhaps it was a case of them getting their ducks in order early as it became clear Cucurella wanted out.

You might remember Barco as a left-back when he was making a name for himself at Boca Juniors and struggling on the periphery at Brighton, but he’s reinvented himself as more of an all-action No.8 over the past season at Strasbourg.

Barco could yet have a big World Cup in that role, following in the mould of the likes of Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister in Qatar last time out.

So more of a Fernandez replacement, if required, than a Cucurella one. But he does have experience in that position and his adaptability could make him a viable candidate to step in there.

Particularly if Xabi Alonso goes with his tried-and-tested back three system, with a wingback role essentially an amalgam of the two roles he’s played in to date.

Nathaniel Brown

The latest “player you’ve never heard of impressing for a big nation for a World Cup”. The Toto Schillaci, if you will.

Admit it. You weren’t really aware of Eintracht Frankfurt’s 22-year-old left-back Brown until the starring role he played in Germany’s 7-1 mauling of Curacao.

But regular watchers of German football will tell you he’s a star in the making and will surely get a big move this summer. It’s long been reported that he’ll be the next rising star that big fish Bayern Munich poach from the Bundesliga’s small pond.

Chelsea would be daft not to at least ask the question and attempt to hijack the deal. It worked for Liverpool and Florian Wirtz, and this wouldn’t be anywhere near as expensive.

Alex Valle

Like Cucurella, Valle came up through Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy but never really got a chance there.

And like Cucurella, after a series of loans away – Andorra, Levante, Celtic – it’s only after a permanent move away that he’s really kicked on and shown what he can do.

Cesc Fabregas’ Como exercised their bargain €6million buyout clause last summer, and the 22-year-old is surely worth several times over that now.

He was excellent for the Serie A upstarts as they qualified for the Champions League at the expense of giants like AC Milan and Juventus last season.

Continuing to be coached by Fabregas, while playing in Europe’s top competition, is probably best for his development in the medium-term. But continue on this trajectory, and bigger clubs will inevitably come knocking.

Federico Dimarco

Totally the opposite age profile to the other names in this list, and that’s why it won’t happen. BlueCo don’t sign players over the age of 27.

But signalling a change in strategy is exactly what they should do after the chaotic failings of the past few years.

Going out and getting a peak-age (28) full-back who was exceptional in Inter’s Scudetto win last term (seven goals and 17 – ! – assists in Serie A) would be a pivot to a just-win-now approach that’s been lacking.

Dimarco is also proven as an excellent wingback. Ideal for Alonso.