Troy Deeney has argued that Marc Cucurella was not just frustrated by Chelsea’s struggles, but was also part of the wider issues at the club before sealing his switch to Real Madrid.
Cucurella this week completed a £52million transfer to the Spanish powerhouse, with Madrid moving decisively to fend off competition from both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
New Real boss Jose Mourinho is believed to have played a major role in the deal, helping the club enter the race late and quickly secure the defender’s signing.
During the previous season, Cucurella had publicly questioned certain decisions at Chelsea, including the club’s choice to part ways with head coach Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day.
Those comments fuelled talk that the Spaniard had become unhappy at Stamford Bridge. Unlike Enzo Fernandez — who was handed an internal two-match suspension after openly entertaining the idea of a move to Madrid — Cucurella faced no punishment for speaking out.
Troy Deeney has taken aim at Marc Cucurella following his departure from Chelsea
After Chelsea confirmed his departure, former Premier League striker Deeney criticised Cucurella, claiming the left-back had contributed to the problems behind the Blues’ disappointing 10th-place finish and failure to qualify for Europe.
‘I think there is an element with Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez, you weren’t playing good enough to talk, so shut up,’ Deeney said on talkSPORT.
‘This new generation of players, when things go well, tell me how great I am, pat me on the back and go on social media and tell you how great they are, the fans are wonderful.
‘When they lose, it’s not me, it is the manager, the owner, the board, it’s all of these different things.
‘I was here a year ago for the Club World Cup and they were absolutely loving it.
‘Fast forward eight months and it’s should have got rid of that manager. It’s like come on, you were part of the problem.
‘For me it is twofold. If you are Real Madrid, I don’t like that backline they could possibly have with [Denzel] Dumfries from Inter Milan, Konate, Rudiger and now him [Cucurella]. That does not give me a back four that is ready to compete on the biggest of stages.
‘For Chelsea they have got [Jorrell] Hato, a young kid who looks mustard but that is a leader you’ve lost and for a long time we have said they don’t have leaders.’
Cucurella, who recently insisted he would be happy to remain at Chelsea, had spoken out in March over decisions taken by the club’s hierarchy.
Deeney insisted Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez, left, have been part of Chelsea’s problems
Cucurella’s move to Real Madrid was confirmed prior to Spain’s opening match of the World Cup
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The defender had said Maresca, who is set to join Man City, was the ‘most important’ manager across his time at the club, and said the relationships he built meant players would ‘die for him’.
Cucurella highlighted the stability that Maresca brought and cited the faith Arsenal have had in Mikel Arteta as an example of the rewards that follow patience.
He added: ‘The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision.
‘To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season…’
He also told the Athletic that Chelsea’s policy of signing young, up and coming stars was ‘discouraging’ to players who wanted to ‘win big things’.
‘I understand this is part of the club’s policy, and that they want to take this direction – signing young players and looking to the future,’ he said. ‘But, for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this make you feel discouraged,’ he said.
‘We have a good core of players. The foundations are there. But to fight for major trophies, you need more. Signing young players only might complicate achieving those goals. Against PSG, we lacked players that had gone through situations like that.’
Cucurella was signed by Chelsea from Brighton in 2022 in a deal worth up to £63m.
In the club’s farewell message, a Blues’ spokesperson thanked him to his efforts at the club, and wished him ‘every success’ in the ‘next stage of his career’.
Daily Mail Sport previously reported how the full back was among those in line to leave the club this summer, after they missed out on European football for next term under Alonso.
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