Chelsea discover €55m summer sale has made ‘dull’ start to the new season

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Matthew Judge | Editor

Chelsea have been told Marc Cucurella has made a “dull” start to the new season after leaving Stamford Bridge in the summer.

The Spain international ended his four-year association with the Blues by joining Real Madrid in a €55million (£47.2m) deal in June.

Cucurella was expected to shine at Real after cementing his status as one of the leading left-backs in Europe at the 2026 World Cup.

However, Diario AS reporter Joel Guerrero believes the 28-year-old is already under pressure after a disappointing start to life in the Spanish capital.

Guerrero says Cucurella has been “dull” in his first eight appearances for Los Blancos across La Liga and the Champions League.

Cucurella produced his “worst” performance in a Real shirt so far in the 2-1 loss at Atletico Madrid last Sunday, in the opinion of Guerrero.

The defender came out second best in his battle with Giuliano Simeone, who assisted the winning goal from Jonathan David at the Metropolitano Stadium.

Guerrero claims Alvaro Carreras, on the other hand, has excelled when given an opportunity to start at left-back by Real boss Jose Mourinho this season.

Carreras - who has only made five appearances for Real so far this term, including three starts - scored in the 4-1 home win over Rayo Vallecano earlier this month.

Cucurella will hope to raise his confidence by starring for Spain in their mouth-watering Nations League clash with England on Saturday evening.

Chelsea replaced Cucurella with compatriot Chavarria

After sanctioning the sale of Cucurella, Chelsea scoured the market for a replacement before deciding on Pep Chavarria in August.

The west London club signed Spaniard Chavarria from La Liga side Rayo for €19m (£16.3m), with the 28-year-old left-back signing a five-year deal.

Chavarria has gone on to make seven appearances for Chelsea so far this season, making his competitive debut as a substitute in the 3-2 win at Fulham.

Like Cucurella at Real, Chavarria also faces competition for a place in the Chelsea starting eleven, with Jorrel Hato another option for manager Xabi Alonso.

STATS

Jorrel Hato

D (CL)

Chelsea

Jorrel Hato

D (CL)

Chelsea

All Tournaments

2026/27

• 5

  Games

• 0

  Goals

• 2

  Assists

View all stats

Netherlands international Hato has made five appearances so far this season, recording assists against Brighton and Hove Albion and Arsenal.

Chelsea return to action against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, 10 October, while Real entertain Villarreal in La Liga on the same day.