Chelsea were an extremely busy force in the transfer market last summer, bringing in multiple new additions in what seemed to be a new dawn for everyone involved at Stamford Bridge under new ownership.
One of their most high-profile signings was Marc Cucurella, who arrived to much excitement from Blues' supporters for a fee in excess of £60 million, as per Sky Sports.
Nevertheless, he, like many of Chelsea's players have flattered to deceive this campaign, leaving the west London-based outfit sitting 11th in the Premier League table with just three fixtures left to play alongside being dumped out of all cup competitions.
Undoubtedly, Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has a lot to answer for this season and the American businessman may live to regret making such an expensive signing with little to show for it in return.
What's the latest news involving Marc Cucurella?
Cucurella has come under fire for his performances at Chelsea this season and was criticised by talkSPORT pundit Jamie O'Hara after the Blues' Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie against Real Madrid, as the pundit said: “Cucurella is a disgrace, absolutely killed Chelsea.”
Daily Mail journalist Kieran Gill also delivered a crushing verdict of the Spaniard in early February and questioned his willingness to try and be progressive on the ball, writing: "Cucurella looks like a footballer devoid of confidence, as if he’s too scared to take the risky option.
One compilation of his ‘highlights’ against West Ham showed a series of moments when, instead of passing to Mykhailo Mudryk on the left wing, he chose safety."
In his time at Stamford Bridge, Cucurella has been an underwhelming presence on the left-hand side of defence, making 33 appearances in all competitions and registering two assists, as per Transfermarkt.
WhoScored notes that Cucurella has earned an average match rating of 6.55/10 for his exploits on the pitch this term, ranking him 13th out of Chelsea's 32-man squad in terms of the consistency of his displays, demonstrating room for improvement.
Gill's assessment of Cucurella not being brave enough on the ball also stands up to scrutiny, as FBRef details that the 24-year-old ranks in the bottom 10% of full-backs across Europe's top five divisions for successful take-ons completed over the last 365 days, as he has managed just 0.29 per 90 minutes.
Former Chelsea ace Frank Leboeuf even slammed the transfer as he called it a "crazy" decision.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Paul Brown thinks that Boehly and company may have paid over the odds to sign Cucurella.
Brown told FFC: "I think the only regret that Chelsea should have over Cucurella is the price they paid. I think there's clearly a good player there who still has time to make an impact for the club, but it's clear they just paid a figure that was way above his market value to get him. I mean, I think everyone went a bit wide-eyed at the time when those figures came out."
Of course, Cucurella still has time to turn things round at the Blues and can be an exceptionally effective player when on form. As per The Evening Standard, UEFA’s Technical Observer Panel praised him in the aftermath of Chelsea's 2-0 triumph in the Champions League last-16, stating: “Cucurella was fantastic, claiming numerous turnovers in the first half and reading the game intelligently as well as showing aerial strength and an accuracy of distribution which underpinned the victory for Chelsea.”
Nevertheless, a return to consistency needs to be a priority for the former Seagulls ace heading into next campaign as Chelsea look to wash away their memory of a dismal 2022/23.