Troy Deeney has insisted Marc Cucurella was part of Chelsea’s problems after the full back had voiced his frustrations at the club before departing for Real Madrid.
Cucurella completed a £52million move to the Spanish giants this week, with Real Madrid acting quickly to beat rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for his signature.
Real’s new manager, Jose Mourinho, is said to have been key to them not only suddenly entering the race but rapidly winning it.
The deal saw Real Madrid pay Chelsea €55m (£47.4m) up front, with a further €5m (£4.3m) in achievable add-ons.
Cucurella had spoken up last season on decisions made at Chelsea which he did not agree with, such as the New Year’s Day departure of head coach, Enzo Maresca.
That sparked speculation that he had grown disillusioned with life at Stamford Bridge. Cucurella avoided being punished for speaking up, unlike Enzo Fernandez, who spent time flirting with the idea of living in Madrid and received an internal two-match suspension.
Troy Deeney has taken aim at Marc Cucurella following his departure from Chelsea
Following confirmation of his Chelsea exit, former Premier League forward Deeney took aim at Cucurella by suggesting he had been part of the problems that led to the Blues ultimately finishing 10th and missing out on European football.
‘I think there is an element with Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez, you weren’t playing good enough to talk, so shut up,’ Deeney said on talkSPORT.
‘This new generation of players, when things go well, tell me how great I am, pat me on the back and go on social media and tell you how great they are, the fans are wonderful.
‘When they lose, it’s not me, it is the manager, the owner, the board, it’s all of these different things.
‘I was here a year ago for the Club World Cup and they were absolutely loving it.
‘Fast forward eight months and it’s should have got rid of that manager. It’s like come on, you were part of the problem.
‘For me it is twofold. If you are Real Madrid, I don’t like that backline they could possibly have with [Denzel] Dumfries from Inter Milan, Konate, Rudiger and now him [Cucurella]. That does not give me a back four that is ready to compete on the biggest of stages.
‘For Chelsea they have got [Jorrell] Hato, a young kid who looks mustard but that is a leader you’ve lost and for a long time we have said they don’t have leaders.’
Cucurella, who recently insisted he would be happy to remain at Chelsea, had spoken out in March over decisions taken by the club’s hierarchy.
Deeney insisted Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez, left, have been part of Chelsea’s problems
Cucurella’s move to Real Madrid was confirmed prior to Spain’s opening match of the World Cup
Join the discussion
Should players who publicly criticise their clubs be seen as honest leaders or disruptive influences?
The defender had said Maresca, who is set to join Man City, was the ‘most important’ manager across his time at the club, and said the relationships he built meant players would ‘die for him’.
Cucurella highlighted the stability that Maresca brought and cited the faith Arsenal have had in Mikel Arteta as an example of the rewards that follow patience.
He added: ‘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…’
He also told the Athletic that Chelsea’s policy of signing young, up and coming stars was ‘discouraging’ to players who wanted to ‘win big things’.
‘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,’ he said. ‘But, for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this make you feel discouraged,’ he said.
‘We have a good core of players. The foundations are there. But to fight for major trophies, you need more. Signing young players only might complicate achieving those goals. Against PSG, we lacked players that had gone through situations like that.’
Cucurella was signed by Chelsea from Brighton in 2022 in a deal worth up to £63m.
In the club’s farewell message, a Blues’ spokesperson thanked him to his efforts at the club, and wished him ‘every success’ in the ‘next stage of his career’.
Daily Mail Sport previously reported how the full back was among those in line to leave the club this summer, after they missed out on European football for next term under Alonso.
Consider yourself a World Cup expert? Challenge yourself with our exclusive quiz for free by signing up to our World Cup newsletter. Get it HERE
