'We don't want to see Cucurella anymore!' - £62m defender is not good enough for Chelsea, insists Leboeuf

• Chelsea beat City to sign Cucurella
• Spent a bomb on the defender
• Has struggled to find his feet at Stamford Bridge

WHAT HAPPENED? The Spanish defender is yet to justify the hefty price tag that the Blue paid to beat rivals Manchester City to sign him from Brighton last summer. He has made 16 Premier League starts this season but has failed to impress with his performances. He was being picked ahead of Ben Chilwell in September and a hamstring injury to the English star allowed the former Brighton star to enjoy a longer spell as a starter. However, he has not been able to live up to expectations, despite the trust shown in him by Graham Potter. With Chilwell now fit again, former Chelsea defender Leboeuf has urged Potter to start him instead of Cucurella.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Hopefully Reece James and Ben Chilwell will go back into fitness as soon as possible because we need them," Leboeuf told ESPN.

"We don’t want to see Cucurella anymore. With all due respect to a man that I don’t know, the player is not good enough for Chelsea. It’s as simple as that. It’s crazy that they signed him for £60m or £70m, but we can see that he doesn’t belong to this level."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Potter continues to back Cucurella and has suggested that off-field family issues have affected his form in recent weeks. However, with Chilwell back in contention it remains to be seen whether he goes for a change in the left-back position.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? The Blues are set to be in action against West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, four days before the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund.