The Spaniard endured a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge (Picture: Getty)
The agent of Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has hit out at reports claiming the Spaniard has been offered to Atletico Madrid less than a year after joining the club.
Cucurella swapped Brighton for Stamford Bridge in August of last year in a £60million deal but struggled in his first season and faced plenty of criticism from disgruntled supporters.
The 24-year-old registered just two assists and no goals in 24 Premier League appearances, though he was far from the only player who failed to impress in a miserable campaign for the Blues.
Four different coaches – Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard – all had spells in the dugout as Chelsea recorded their lowest finish (12th) and points tally (44) in Premier League history.
Mauricio Pochettino has now been tasked with reviving the club’s fortunes and a major problem he faces is trimming an extremely bloated squad that will not be competing in Europe next season.
As well as offloading fringe players, stars such as Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic have also been cashed in on with Mason Mount next in line to leave in a £60m deal to Manchester United.
Cucurella is also believed to be on the chopping block after his unspectacular campaign, with Ben Chilwell and Lewis Hall providing enough options at left-back while the return of Levi Colwill from his loan at Brighton will also impact Cucurella’s opportunities in the left centre-back position of a back three.
Alvaro Dominguez was unimpressed with the report from Marca (Picture: Instagram)
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, that has prompted Chelsea to try and cut their losses on the defender and it is claimed that he was offered to Atletico Madrid.
But Cucurella’s agent, Alvaro Dominguez, has quickly shut down the speculation and branded the report ‘fake news’ in a post on Instagram.
Linking to the article in question, Dominguez tagged Marca and also wrote ‘try again’ alongside a ‘crying laughing’ emoji, suggesting in no uncertain terms that there is little truth in the speculation.
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Still, there are significant question marks over Cucurella’s future at Chelsea particularly with new boss Pochettino generally favouring a back four formation.
Chilwell is the first-choice option at left-back while Hall has proven to be useful cover.
Six of Cucurella’s league starts last season came on the left side of the back three, but even if Pochettino dabbles with that formation both Colwill and Benoit Badiashile are likely to be preferred.
Ian Maatsen, who enjoyed a strong campaign on loan in the Championship with Burnley last season, could also be another option at left-back with Chelsea having already rejected a £15m bid from the newly promoted side.
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The Spaniard endured a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge.