Chelsea land massive Marc Cucurella transfer advantage after £60m decision finally made

No Chelsea player was on the pitch for longer than Marc Cucurella at the Club World Cup. It is symbolic of his rise to prominence for club and country, which has led to a mammoth 5,000-minute season.

Extend back to June 2024, and Cucurella has amassed over 5,600 minutes in all competitions. He has played 120 minutes on four occasions during that time. It is 67 games in 14 months.

That averages out to more than one per week for longer than a year. Consider that Cucurella is supposed to have had six weeks of holiday during that time (reducing the total 'on duty and playable weeks' from 60 to 54) he still comes out at over 1.2 matches per seven days.

This may not seem like lots given that footballers are expected to play on at least a weekly basis, but it shows just how much he has been called on. Cucurella is always available, very rarely injured, and is now irreplaceable.

Enzo Maresca used him in 36 of 38 Premier League games. The only two he missed were through suspension. Cucurella started 33 of those and played the full match in all but one of the last 20 fixtures.

Only Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer played in more individual league games than Cucurella, whilst Levi Colwill also managed more minutes. He is now a European and world champion. He has done most of it without genuine backup.

Compare this to Cucurella's first year at Chelsea, when he struggled and was nearly loaned out to Manchester United in August 2023, the picture on the left could hardly have been more different at left-back.

Lewis Hall and Ian Maatsen were in the picture to compete as youngsters, both able to invert into the centre of the pitch or offer more natural attacking than Cucurella. Ben Chilwell was already finding it hard to stay on the field due to injuries, but he made it four genuine left-back options for Chelsea moving forward.

Cut to now, and Cucurella is the only orthodox player in that position. Levi Colwill was used there by Mauricio Pochettino but was never truly comfortable. Renato Veiga promised to offer some cover but prefers to play at centre-back and has since been loaned out, on the verge of a permanent exit.

Malo Gusto and Reece James have deputised at points but cannot offer close to Cucurella's output or comfort in the role. It was, in no uncertain terms, one of the priority spots this summer for Chelsea.

Cucurella has proven to be extremely durable both mentally and physically since his £62million transfer but he is human. Chelsea could not afford to enter the new season without providing him with competition or, more importantly, backup.

Jorrel Hato's move, which is now extremely close following a breakthrough in talks with Ajax over the price of the 19-year-old (around £37million), will offer Chelsea exactly what they need. Like Veiga, Hato is able to play centrally on the left.

That means that there is some reduced pressure on the fitness of Benoit Badiashile, which has been variable over the past 18 months, and also around Colwill, who has become indispensable. It is at left-back that the real benefit will be felt.

Hato has played more at full-back than centre-back throughout his time at Ajax but the split of his minutes in each position has changed. Last season, when he played 50 times in all competitions (31 in the league and 11 in Europe), he was primarily used on the left.

In 2023/24, where he managed 46 games, he was more often situated in the middle. Chelsea see this versatility as being valuable, as is his quality and potential.

Hato is a good passer, if not adventurous (much like Cucurella), and comes out well in one-on-ones, especially when being aggressive from centre-back. He is not an overlapping full-back, although that is where he is sometimes deployed by the Netherlands, and is likely to slot into a back three rather than inverting into midfield.

Cucurella can do both and has held the width on the left as well when Maresca has adapted game plans against low-blocks. At the Club World Cup, the Chelsea manager showed more versatility in his approach, and that raises interesting questions over how Hato might be used.

Regardless of his ability at centre-back, where Chelsea are well stocked, even with temporary left-sided options in Trevoh Chalobah or Badiashile, it is taking the weight off Cucurella's shoulders that Hato stands to truly add to Chelsea next year. As a young player, he will be granted time to improve and settle. The first-choice defence is relatively set at Stamford Bridge, but over a full year, Cucurella will need more rest than he has had of late.

Hato, if nothing else, offers that, at least. Where Chelsea are happy to cash in on their low-risk punt with Veiga, they see a much brighter future involving Hato. Given Cucurella's age (he will be 28 next summer) and contract status (there will be just two years left in 2026), Hato also could be the future rather than simply a rotational figure in the present.

Long-term, he looks well set to play as a centre-back, which could cause a shift in the dynamic with Colwill, but for now it is not a problem. Instead, it is Cucurella who will be celebrating this that bit more.