For Chelsea: This feels like a strange one for Chelsea; Cucurella is a player who has developed into a key defensive figure for the Blues since arriving in 2022 after an inauspicious start, so seeing him leave for a loss is a little puzzling. At his best, he is arguably among the best in his position on the planet. That said, Chelsea definitely overpaid in the first place when they signed the Spaniard from Brighton for £60m ($80m), and given he had reportedly signalled his intent to move on behind the scenes and has been openly critical of the way the club is being run, they will probably be content to recoup as much as £52m ($69m) having deemed that he wasn’t untouchable. Indeed, they might have struggled to get any more than that in windows to come for a player who turns 28 in July. Cucurella’s exit also means a squad dearly lacking experience has been shorn of one of its most seasoned heads, but Chelsea must be confident that young Jorrel Hato can fill the void, as well as expected new arrival Valentin Barco. Grade: B-
For Real Madrid: It seems that whatever Jose Mourinho says, goes, as Real Madrid kick-off their early-window recruitment drive with a shock signing. The club spent big on a left-back just last summer to bring Alvaro Carreras back to the Bernabeu from Benfica, but that hasn’t stopped them splurging on Cucurella, who was reportedly identified as a target by their new (old) manager. A €60m fee is very steep for a team that has taken a fairly frugal approach to the transfer window in recent years, and it will necessitate an instant return on their investment from a player whose form has dipped somewhat in recent months. Soon turning 28, Cucurella should be at the peak of his powers, but how many more high-quality years are Los Blancos realistically going to get out of him? He does, at least, have the hallmarks of a ‘Mourinho’ player with his energy and aggression. Real also now find themselves with four first-team left-backs in the new man, Carreras, Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia, so something’s surely got to give in terms of outgoings. Grade: C
For Cucurella: Undoubtedly the main beneficiary of this move, Cucurella has fulfilled his objective of escaping a rudderless Chelsea side and joined one of the biggest clubs on the planet at his peak. It had been widely reported that the defender wanted to return to Spain, having grown disillusioned with the manner in which BlueCo were conducting their business at Stamford Bridge, but no one was expecting him to head to the Bernabeu amid interest from Atletico Madrid. It’s unsurprising that the deal was wrapped up so quickly, then, with Cucurella presumably saying yes immediately when Real came calling. Given he was seemingly earmarked by Mourinho, he stands a strong chance of establishing himself as a key player, too, with Carreras likely rotating in and out of the Portuguese’s XI. However, in light of the hefty fee, he must deliver immediately or risk the notoriously impatient Bernabeu faithful being on his back, especially given his Barcelona connections. Grade: A
Krishna Davis
