Chelsea had in 2022 completed the transfer of Marc Cucurella from Brighton and Hove Albion in a deal worth an initial £56m with a possible £7m in add-ons.

Meanwhile, Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf has berated his former club as he torn into the signing of Cucurella and does not believe he should be anywhere near the club’s starting XI.

The Spanish left-back since his summer arrival at Stamford Bridge has struggled to live up to his price tag, with his form not helped by Chelsea’s inconsistent performances.

However, National Daily can confirm that Cucurella due to injuries at the back, and the notable absence of Ben Chilwell has racked up plenty of gametime this season. In fact, only three players have played more minutes than him which is ,

He has been used at left centre-back in a back three, left-back in a back four and at left wing-back, though has not been able to reproduce his Brighton form despite the appointment of old boss Graham Potter.

He gave another sub-par performance against Fulham on Friday night which was highlighted even more by the constant marauding runs of Kenny Tete down his flank.

Now, National Daily gathered that ex-Chelsea defender Leboeuf claims he has seen enough of the 24-year-old and does not believe he is good enough, also slamming the decision to spend so much money on him in the summer.

Leboeuf has slammed Chelsea’s decision to spend so much money on poor Cucurella

The Frenchman speaking to ESPN, said: ‘Reece James and Chilwell are going to go back into fitness asap because we need them, because we don’t want to see Cucurella anymore.

‘With all due respect for the man – that I don’t know – but 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 does not belong to that level.’

It is not the first time Leboeuf has criticised Cucurella, with the World Cup winner saying last year: ‘People are going to think I don’t like him (Cucurella), it’s not the case.

‘It’s just I think Cucurella played for Getafe and Brighton, and £65million for a player who’s 24, played like 30 or 40 games in the Premier League, I think it’s a lot. I think the world of football is getting crazy.’

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Chilwell is coming back from a hamstring injury and was a late substitute against Fulham, with the England international expected to be integrated back into the team slowly over the coming weeks.