Manchester City haven’t been in this situation in a while. Pep’s #1 target thee past few months, Marc Cucurella, has been snatched under his nose by Chelsea and new owner Todd Boehly.
Ever since Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez were made official Man City players early on in the transfer window, Pep Guardiola has been eyeing a new left-back for his backline. Specifically, that would be former Brighton & Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella.
The former Barcelona and Getafe defender has been a revelation at the Seagulls since his arrival last season, helping the club finish in 9th place in the Premier League (Brighton’s highest ever league position in English football). His and Brighton’s meteoric rise has easily made the Spanish defender one of the most sought-after defenders in all of Europe. Plus, his attacking-style of right back play is more than suited for the top clubs of European football. It is no wonder Pep Guardiola wanted the Spaniard for his City team.
With the loss of wingers/strikers Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, Manchester City are weaker than usual down the attacking flanks. Now, their attacking winger options are still in the Top-2 of the Premier League, but that is not City’s benchmark. It is Europe and the Champions League.
Thus, it would have made perfect sense for Pep to move the current starting left-back, Joao Cancelo, to the wing (as a backup/reserve option) when needed, while Marc Cucurella could fill in at the vacant left-back spot. Pep could have knocked out two positional-headache birds with one Cucurella stone.
But that’s not happening now. No, Cucurella is heading to North London.
Chelsea have swooped in like hawks, outbid Man City’s €30-35M bid with a €55M + addons bid (yeah, it might be an overpay) of their own, and have sealed Cucurella’s signature all in the span of a week. I wish other clubs could seal transfers that quickly (cough…Manchester United…cough).
Now, this transfer is great for Cucurella as he now joins one of the biggest clubs in Europe, a Premier League title challenger, and the 2021 Champions League Champions. This is the best place for him to showcase his talents (outside of Man City). Yet, what does this transfer mean for Ben Chilwell and Marcos Alonso. Both of these guys have been battling for that starting left-back/left-wing back spot for the past 2-3 years. With Cucurella coming in as a €55M+ transfer, that surely means he is the opening day starter. Right?
Maybe not. I don’t know about Chelsea and their full-backs options anymore. This team always seems to get the best full-backs in England yet waste their talents on the bench (ie: Ben Chilwell and Marcos Alonso). We’ll have to wait and see who actually ends up starting for Chelsea’s revamped back-line come their first game against Everton.
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