Marc Cucurella transfer bombshell, Enzo Fernandez agreement and what it means for Chelsea

Recent comments made by Chelsea duo Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella have cast serious doubt over their respective futures at Stamford Bridge

For Chelsea supporters, reading Marc Cucurella's bombshell comments will likely generate mixed feelings. The Blues left-back criticised numerous decisions made by the club and while a player coming out and saying such things, with just over a month of the season left to play, would usually cause a pile-on from the fans, it is different this time.

A lot of supporters have expressed their discontent with how the club is being run at the moment - with chants every game, as well as a protest in January and one planned in April. There are some who think, 'good on you', when it comes to Cucurella's comments; likewise, Enzo Fernandez, who similarly publicly called out the club recently.

Cucurella's comments while on international duty with Spain have raised more than a few eyebrows. On Monday evening, the Spaniard flirted with the prospect of one day returning to Barcelona, but it was his interview with The Athletic that was released on Tuesday morning that has caught the Chelsea social media space by storm.

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He was asked about the recent 8-2 (aggregate) defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and blamed the manner of the loss on the lack of experience within the squad at Stamford Bridge.

"Results like that are always hard to take," said Cucurella. "You are fighting and training every day only to realise, at the very end, that when games matter, we are still a bit away from the top level.

"I understand this is part of the club's policy, and that they want to take this direction - signing young players and looking to the future. But, for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this make you feel discouraged.

"We have a good core of players. The foundations are there. But to fight for major trophies such as the Premier League or the Champions League, you need more. Signing young players only might complicate achieving those goals. Against PSG, we lacked players that had gone through situations like that.

"You need time as well, and I know the young players are the ones that will have the experience in the future. But you need to find the balance between both worlds."

Cucurella also effectively called the club out for the managerial change midway through the season, with Enzo Maresca leaving Stamford Bridge on New Year's Day in dramatic fashion.

While he praised Liam Rosenior for how he has "handled" the squad, it mustn't feel amazing for the head coach reading the comments. It is clear some players - namely Cucurella and Fernandez - still have Maresca on their mind.

"We knew what Maresca wanted from us," Cucurella said. "Winning a title like the Club World Cup also helps, strengthens the bond, and you create great relationships during the celebrations. When a manager gives you that confidence and offers you a platform to fight for titles, you'd die for him.

"The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision.

"To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season...

"The instability around the club comes from this, in a nutshell. We had a caretaker [Calum McFarlane] first, then a new manager, with new ideas and no time to work on them. It is what it is."

For the most part, Cucurella's comments have gone down really well among the Chelsea fan base. A lot of supporters are praising the Spain international for speaking his mind in the public eye, and also echoing what many of them have been feeling for a long time.

If a player feels strongly about decisions their employers have made, it is only right they come out and say something - if the solution cannot be found internally. However, the timing of these comments from Cucurella feels off. Rosenior will face the media later this week ahead of an FA Cup quarter-final and one would very much doubt that even one question will relate to the visit of Port Vale on Saturday evening.

While Fernandez and Cucurella have cast doubt over their futures with their recent comments, speculation over where Cole Palmer will be playing his football next season remains rife. A report from The Sun over the weekend claimed the 23-year-old is "frustrated by a change in Chelsea's tactics" and is now "increasingly disillusioned and primed to leave this summer".

Rosenior was asked plenty about Palmer's future in January, days after the former was appointed head coach, and repeatedly stated the England international was very happy at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea, meanwhile, view Palmer as untouchable, football.london understands, and Rosenior recently insisted the club will not be forced into selling their best players even if they were to miss out on Champions League qualification.

Rosenior said: "In my conversations with the ownership and the sporting directors, our plans are not solely based on whether we make the Champions League or not, but there's so many ifs."

Palmer has not expressed his discontent yet, not publicly anyway, but if reports are to be believed, then he has something in common with Fernandez and Cucurella. Admirably, though, Moises Caicedo recently stated he wants to "become a legend" at Stamford Bridge and quashed any rumours he would look to leave the club anytime soon.

Rosenior would have been over the moon reading that; likewise, the Chelsea head coach was visibly delighted when Reece James sat alongside him during a press conference recently after the captain signed a new long-term contract with the club. They are wins but equally, recent interviews with Cucurella and Fernandez seem like losses.

When Rosenior speaks to the media later this week, the Blues boss will likely play down recent comments made by two of his key players but internally, they would not have gone down well. Public criticism of the project is not a good look for BlueCo.

International breaks are supposed to be a switch-off from club football. This has been far from it from a Chelsea point of view.