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Desperately in need of reinforcements at left-back, Manchester United have been linked with Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella; a player who has struggled to find his feet since arriving at Stamford Bridge last season.
But even with the injured Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia set to be sidelined for an extended period, would Man United be justified in potentially pursuing a loan deal for a seemingly out-of-favour Chelsea flop?
Upon moving from Brighton and Hove Albion to Chelsea at the start of last season, the 25-year-old Spaniard struggled to find his feet at his new club.
Starting just 21 Premier League games for the Blues and making three appearances off the bench, Cucurella was only able to keep four clean sheets throughout the 2022/23 season.
Although this lack of clean sheets is a result of poor team performance, the left-back’s individual effort was not as shabby as many may believe given the criticism being thrown his way.
Cucurella won 60% of his total duels in a Chelsea shirt in the league last season, while also posting 2.8 tackles per game and being at fault for just one error that led to a goal being conceded. (Stats via Sofascore)
In 2022/23, the 25 year old was in the top 97th percentile for all fullbacks in terms of tackles completed per 90 minutes.
He also ranked within the top 87th percentile for pass completion and 79th percentile for blocks. (Stats via FBRef)
While Cucurella’s underlying stats proved respectable at Chelsea last season, his breakout performance came in 2021/22 for Brighton.
In 35 starts for the Seagulls, the Spanish international kept eight clean sheets while winning 59% of his total duels and making absolutely no errors that led to goals or even shots from the opposition.
Compared to other fullbacks in the Premier League in 2021/22, Cucurella’s tackling was actually weaker, being ranked in the 77th percentile.
His pass completion was also surprisingly lower than last season, landing Cucurella in the 83rd percentile. (Stats via FBRef)
One area where Cucurella was undoubtedly better at Brighton, however, was his attacking game.
During 2021/22, Cucurella was in the 81st percentile of fullbacks for shot-creating actions as well as the 99th percentile compared to centre-backs.
At Chelsea, the left-back was in the 40th percentile of all full-backs, showing a stark decline in attacking influence.
Overall, Cucurella’s underlying statistics across his two seasons in the Premier League show that he isn’t, in fact, a flop.
What’s more, form is temporary, which could mean that the 25 year old returns to the top of his game as he did at Brighton two years ago.
With no natural left-back available for selection aside from youngster Alvaro Fernandez, United will need to sign another left-back in order to have sufficient squad depth to cope with an intense fixture schedule.
Of course, if it is a loan deal that United pursue, then they could always send Cucurella back to Stamford Bridge should he not perform to the Red Devils’ standards.
The main point is that Cucurella is able to perform in a role that United desperately need to fill.
