Former Tottenham Hotspur star Jamie O’Hara has applauded the transformation of one Chelsea star during his time at the club.
Chelsea have come on by leaps and bounds in recent years, and several players are part of that upward trajectory, too.
No one encapsulates this more than Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella, who has experienced a 360-degree turn in his fortunes at Stamford Bridge.
The Spanish defender was ridiculed at the start of his career, but has transformed himself into one of the most loved Chelsea players at the moment.
Chelsea’s plan with their squad building has been to bring together a young group that can gel and eventually become a lasting success. Of course, it’s a very different approach to the previous ownership model.
While there were question marks about this model at the beginning, it has slowly but surely begun to yield results for the club.
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Jamie O’Hara lauds Marc Cucurella as one of the best left-backs in the world
TalkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara thinks Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella, 27, is proof that you’ve got to give players time at new clubs. In fact, he’s claimed that the Spain international has gone from “terrible” to an elite left-back during his Blues career.
Speaking on talkSPORT’s The Sports Bar, O’Hara said: “I remember when Cucurella went in at Chelsea. He was terrible, and everyone was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s the worst £60m we’ve ever spent.’ Cucurella – now you probably put him in one of the top five defenders, left-backs, in the world. He’s brilliant, so you’ve got to give players time.”
After joining the Blues from Brighton for £60m (BBC) in 2022, Cucurella had an extremely challenging debut season in West London. In fact, reports in July 2023 claimed that Chelsea wanted to sell Cucurella.
The all-action full-back showed great determination to grow into the shirt and eventually become a fan favourite.
Since the start of this season, Cucurella has established himself as a creative force, as he has created more chances than any other Chelsea player.
The adventurous full-back assisted Estevao Willian’s stoppage-time goal against Liverpool before the international break with his clever pass across the penalty box.
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