It was exciting to see a couple of new faces play for Chelsea in their opening match of the Club World Cup, but it’s obvious they still have some urgent work to do in the transfer market.
The Blues got underway in this summer’s Club World Cup tournament with a routine 2-0 win against MLS club Los Angeles FC.
Liam Delap and Dario Essugo both made Chelsea debuts during the second half. In fact, American media raved about Delap after the centre-forward’s first appearance for his new club against LAFC.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has travelled to the United States this summer with a very strong squad for the Club World Cup. However, we think there’s a glaring problem that needs to be fixed as soon as possible in the transfer window.
Alarm bells should be ringing as Marc Cucurella completes another 90 minutes
Even though Marc Cucurella is one of the first names on the team sheet at left-back, it’s surely not sustainable to ask him to play every single match.
The reality is that the 26-year-old Spanish full-back desperately needs some cover and competition. The sooner the better, too!
Cucurella completed 90 minutes against LAFC this week, and there’s no natural understudy to him in the Club World Cup squad. This comes after he played in both the semi-final and final of Spain’s Nations League campaign earlier in June.
Robert Sanchez rates Cucurella as the world’s best left-back right now, but he’s at risk of burning out if things don’t change quickly.
It’s proving to be another busy summer for him after 48 club appearances last season across all competitions. Without a doubt, Chelsea simply must find a way to give Cucurella some more rest.
Chelsea must act fast to sign Jorrel Hato to help Marc Cucurella
Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, 19, is someone strongly linked with a potential move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Our message to the Chelsea owners is to accelerate their interest to bring the teenager to the club immediately.
Chelsea are lining up a move for £42m-rated Hato and could move for the Eredivisie star after the conclusion of the Club World Cup. At the moment, the Ajax youngster is currently representing the Netherlands at the Under-21 Euros.
The versatile defender, who can play at left-back or centre-half, could be a great alternative to Cucurella in Chelsea’s squad.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 50 | 3 | 6 |
We think the Blues should be pushing hard to sign the Dutchman, even adding him to their Club World Cup squad for later in the tournament if it’s possible. Hato is evaluating the Chelsea project, and they should give him another little nudge to speed things up.
