Marc Cucurella

Marc Cucurella of Brighton & Hove Albion in action during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton. Naomi Baker/Getty Images. Welcome to Window Shopping ...

As for the Chelsea player most likely to be frustrated with the move, it’s probably Ben Chilwell. The former Leicester defender was brought in during the summer of 2020, but he has not carved out his spot on the left side of defense for Chelsea. A huge reason—maybe the only reason—why is that he tore a ligament in his knee in November of 2021, missing the second half of the year. If it is not evident from the above, allow me to reiterate: Cucurella was a top option available on the transfer market, but only if the buying team is committed to playing him as either left back or left wing back. Tuchel could play Cucurella at left center back and Chilwell at left wingback, but as stated above, that is not Cucurella’s best position, and did Chelsea really just drop €65 million-plus on a player just to slot him in out of position? His movement in the attacking third is also top-notch, as evident in his last goal for Brighton. He starts the move in almost a center defensive midfield position, before charging into the middle of the box for the pass. He is fearless in getting at opposing wide players, and though his tackle success rate—about 65 percent last season—isn’t the best, it is more than good enough to be worth the risks he takes with his pressing. Cucurella played in 35 of Brighton’s 38 games last season, and he has never suffered a major injury in his career. While I was in the process of finishing this blog, with the assumption that Cucurella would go to Chelsea, Cucurella did in fact go to Chelsea. So, safe to say that these rumors were not bullshit, though the price tag is higher than expected. With that in mind, is a wing back who notched just one goal and one assist last season really worth upwards of €65 million? The Athletic reported on Thursday that Brighton was keeping the defender out of first-team training ahead of the season opening weekend, which was the final step before this transfer became a reality. The 24-year-old came through the Barcelona academy as a highly rated left back, then moved to Getafe where he broke out playing as a left-sided wide midfielder in a 4-4-2, which earned him a transfer to Brighton, where he’s thrived mainly as a left wing back but also at times as a center back in a three-defender setup. Welcome to Window Shopping, a recurring feature in which Defector highlights and analyzes some of the biggest players rumored for a big-money transfer each window. That price tag is above and beyond the previous reports that put Brighton’s price tag for its star defender at around €55 million.