Chelsea boss Todd Boehly has given a very candid and somewhat unorthodox insight into the club’s early recruitment strategy during the BlueCo era.
Chelsea’s long-standing senior management team, which included Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech, immediately departed after taking over from Roman Abramovich.
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That left Boly as the club’s interim sporting director, a role he admits he was simply unprepared for.
The American billionaire spoke at a recent panel to reflect on a chaotic summer of 2022, revealing that the decision to spend more than £60m on Marc Cucurella was largely influenced by Manchester City’s pursuit of the Spaniard.
“The entire management team left,” Boly told iConnections.
“I was interim sporting director for a summer and didn’t know what a good footballer was, but I knew Marc Cucurella and if City wanted him, I wanted him.
“It’s really easy.”
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Cucurella had a rocky start at Stamford Bridge and was almost loaned to Manchester United in 2023.
However, he has since become one of Chelsea’s most reliable players and signed a contract extension in November.
Chelsea will travel to the Emirates Stadium to face league leaders Arsenal on Sunday night, with Cucurella set to miss a third consecutive game due to a muscle injury.