Marc Cucurella has left Brighton & Hove Albion and joined Chelsea on a six-year deal.
After an outstanding debut season in the Premier League with the Seagulls, where he made 38 appearances across all categories and scored his solitary goal in their penultimate home game against Manchester United, the versatile defender joins the club only weeks after turning 24.
Cucurella was named Player of the Season by both Brighton fans and teammates because of how well and quickly he adapted to English football, playing in a variety of roles on the left side, including full-back, wing-back, and center-back.
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His energetic play, aggressive tackling, and swarming down the wings stood out, and his two-footedness and comfort with the ball were important components of Brighton’s possession-based strategy as they achieved their best-ever top-flight position of ninth. In the Premier League last season, only three players made more tackles than he did (93).
Cucurella said of joining Chelsea: “I’m incredibly thrilled. I’m going to work hard to be happy here and support the squad because it’s a great opportunity for me to join one of the top clubs in the world.
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly said: ‘Marc is an elite defender of proven Premier League quality and he further strengthens our squad going into the new season. We continue to work on and off the pitch, and we’re delighted Marc will be a part of the present and future at Chelsea.’
Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano , co-controlling owners, said: ‘We’re very excited to bring Marc to Chelsea and he is another key part of our squad building as we enter the new season. We’re all looking forward to getting started on the pitch now, and Marc only adds to that feeling. We welcome him to the club!’
Prior to his switch to the South Coast, the Catalan’s footballing upbringing came in his native Spain, where he progressed through the ranks at Espanyol before joining Barcelona at the age of 14.
He played three full seasons in La Liga, initially on loan at Eibar and Getafe, before joining the latter on a permanent basis in the summer of 2020. Much of his time in Spain was spent playing as a left midfielder before the defensive side of his game was developed under Graham Potter at the Amex Stadium.
The Spaniard made his senior international debut last summer, his sole appearance for La Roja to date, and picked up a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics the following month with the under-23 team.