- Caicedo wanted by Chelsea
- Cucurella wants him to make move
- Confirms he wants to stay
WHAT HAPPENED? Cucurella accepts that the Blues endured a difficult season, in which the club finished 12th in the Premier League, and he has confirmed his desire to stay under new manager Mauricio Pochettino while urging former Brighton team-mate Caicedo to join him. Chelsea have seen a £70m ($90m) bid for the midfielder rejected this week.
WHAT THEY SAID: Per the London Evening Standard, Cucurella said: “Yes, for sure I want to stay at Chelsea. I am very happy here.
“It wasn’t an easy season and it was difficult for all the players, we needed time to adapt. You arrive at a big club, you need time to adapt, the results don’t arrive, you feel more pressure and, of course, we are footballer players but we are normal people as well. We have problems in our personal lives and people need to understand this as well. This is part of life and these things can improve in the future. I am very happy, I have a lot of energy and I am happy to stay here and do my best for this team and club.”
Asked about Caicedo, he said: “I’ve read in the media that he wants to come here a lot of times!“I have a good relationship with him. He is a top player and if he came here I think we would have a top midfielder for a long time.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Cucurella endured a tough season along with Chelsea, as he was limited to 21 starts in the top-flight and missed the final eight games of the campaign through injury.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT? Chelsea face Brighton on Sunday in their next pre-season friendly, having beaten Wrexham 5-0 this week.