'It was hostile' - Graham Potter claims there was a 'real dislike' for Marc Cucurella at Chelsea amid initial struggles following eye-watering £62m transfer

Chelsea paid a whopping £55 million (€65m/$67m) to sign the Spanish full-back from Brighton in the summer of 2022. There were huge expectations from the former Barcelona youth player, however, he had to deal with some difficulties in his early days at Stamford Bridge which led to fans being hostile towards the Spaniard, as claimed by former Blues coach Potter.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the English manager said, "Delighted for Marc Cucurella, because he’s had a tough start to his career here at Chelsea. He came in with maybe a high fee, and at a time when the team wasn’t functioning as well as maybe what he was used to. He had to take some stick here at Stamford Bridge, it was quite hostile.

"There was a period of time where he was almost trying to think: if the results aren’t going so well, you want to do as much as you can to have the crowd with you. But it was obvious there was a real dislike for Marc here. So it goes into your thinking about whether to put him in."

He added, "I remember playing him against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, I think he was man of the match. It’s a credit to him, he’s got the character. You’re not going to get a better person in terms of how he is with teammates and how good he is around the place, and how he fights every single day. That performance against Saka requires intensity and commitment every single day, and he’s been rewarded for that."

In his second season in West London, the 26-year-old appeared in 26 matches across all competitions despite an ankle injury and then in this summer, he played an important role in Spain winning the European Championship for the second time in their history. Cucurella has won the trust of new Blues manager Enzo Maresca as he regularly features in his starting lineup.

After holding Arsenal to a hard-fought 1-1 draw on Sunday, Maresca's boys will be back in action after the international break when they face Leicester City on November 23.