The versatile defender comes a few weeks short of his 24th birthday after an impressive debut season in the Premier League with the Seagulls, in which he made 38 appearances in all competitions and scored his only goal in their penultimate home game against Manchester United . Such was the positive and quick nature of his adaptation to English football, playing in a variety of roles on the left side including full-back, wing-back and centre-back, Cucurella was voted player of the season by both Brighton fans. and teammates. In particular, his high-energy performances, hard tackles and forays down the wing caught the eye, while his two-footedness and confidence on the ball were key features of Brighton’s possession-based approach as they secured a better finish at the top. ninth. Only three players recorded more than his 93 tackles in the Premier League last term. On signing for Chelsea, Cucurella said: “I’m very happy. It is a great opportunity for me to join one of the best clubs in the world and I will work hard to be happy here and help the team.’ Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly said: “Marc is an elite defender of proven Premier League quality and further strengthens our squad going into the new season. We continue to work on and off the pitch and we are delighted that Marc will be part of the present and future at Chelsea.” Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano, joint owners, said: “We are very excited to bring Marc to Chelsea and he is another key part of building our squad as we head into the new season. We’re all looking forward to getting on the field now, and Marc only adds to that feeling. We welcome him to the club!” Before his move to the South Coast, the Catalan’s footballing upbringing came in his native Spain, where he progressed through the ranks at Espanyol before moving to Barcelona aged 14. He played three full seasons in La Liga, initially on loan at Eibar and Getafe, before joining the latter on a permanent basis in the summer of 2020. Much of his time in Spain was spent as a left midfielder before his defensive side The game developed under Graham Potter at the Amex Stadium. The Spaniard made his senior international debut last summer, his only appearance for La Roja to date, and won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics next month with the under-23 side.
