Marc Cucurella officially completed his move from Chelsea to Real Madrid on Monday morning and that has left new manager Xabi Alonso light in the left-back department
Chelsea feel as if they made the right decision in allowing Marc Cucurella to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
The Blues got a £51.7million total package for the 27-year-old, who had three years left to run on his contract and had made his desire to leave perfectly clear in recent times. Cucurella joins Real Madrid after almost four years at Chelsea and that has ultimately left new manager Xabi Alonso a bit short in the left-back department.
Jorrel Hato had an outstanding second half of the 2025/26 season and that has eased the pain, somewhat, for most supporters following Cucurella’s exit. From Chelsea’s point of view, the highly-rated Dutchman’s calendar year has been filled with promise and potential – and it undoubtedly played an enormous role in allowing Cucurella to move back to his homeland.
FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE! Latest Blues news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Elsewhere, there are no out-and-out left-back options for Alonso in the senior squad. The versatile Valentin Barco, who can play on the left-hand side of defence, is set to join from Strasbourg this summer after his World Cup campaign with reigning champions Argentina.
Malo Gusto, Reece James, Josh Acheampong and Levi Colwill have all slotted in at left-back in the past but are preferred in other positions in an ideal world. That does beg the question, then: should Chelsea go out and sign another left-back? Below, Bobby Vincent and Sam Truelove reached an agreement over former Blues defender Lewis Hall:
Bobby Vincent
Almost immediately after Cucurella’s move to Real Madrid was reported, I immediately saw pleas from Chelsea supporters for the club to re-sign Hall. After spending 12 years coming through the club’s academy system, the Blues allowed Hall to leave to join Newcastle United on an initial loan deal (the Magpies later made the deal permanent).
Hall had impressed during his time in the first team with Chelsea but was used sporadically. From his point of view, he made the right decision because the Blues were set on Cucurella being their left-back for the foreseeable future.
Fast forward to the present day and Cucurella’s departure has left Chelsea short on the left side of defence. Hall re-signing would not – theoretically, anyway – disrupt Hato’s development because the Dutchman can play as a centre-back as well.
Whether Chelsea would want to go back in and admit their mistake regarding Hall, well that’s another thing entirely. As well as that, who’s to say the England international, who was controversially left out of the World Cup squad this summer, would want to re-join the club he left because he didn’t feel it was the best place to develop?
Either way, I think Chelsea should be looking to sign an out-and-out left-back this summer following Cucurella’s departure. Hato is still incredibly young and while he looks to have immense potential, it is a big responsibility to put on his shoulders.
Sam Truelove
I think Chelsea will leave themselves short if they don’t look to sign a replacement for Cucurella. The Spaniard made 50 appearances for the Blues during the 2025/26 season and was one of the more consistent performers, so he will undoubtedly be a big miss.
With the west Londoners targeting players with more experience this summer, I would explore deals to sign one of Hall or Antonee Robinson. Hall left the Blues in 2023 to join Newcastle, with the Magpies paying £28m initially, with potential £7m in add-ons.
The 21-year-old knows the club already and has decent experience given his age, not to mention bags of potential to get even better. Robinson is perhaps more of a rogue shout.
The Fulham left-back has impressed since joining from Wigan in 2020 and has heavily been linked with a move to Liverpool and Manchester United in the past. Offering blistering pace down the left, the 28-year-old only has two years remaining on his contract at Craven Cottage so offers decent value.
