Graham Potter has once again offered his support to Marc Cucurella in light of his ongoing problems at Chelsea and defended co-owner Todd Boehly.
Wing defender Cucurella has been noticeably out of form since his surprise summer transfer from Brighton, then coached by Potter, to Stamford Bridge for £60 million. Frustrated fans and pundits have been particularly critical of his defensive performance.
Things got even worse for the Spaniard this week when it appeared that Chelsea co-owner Boehly had “liked” the tweet of an article saying that Cucurella was simply not good enough to play for the club.
However, Potter reiterated his faith in the 24-year-old and promised him his full support despite unspecified off-field issues. He also stressed that he is not the only Blues player facing major challenges in what has been an extremely difficult season at Stamford Bridge.
“They are people with private lives and other things,” Potter told reporters ahead of Saturday’s recent London derby against West Ham in the Premier League. “Marc is not the only one. At the same time, you understand that the fans pay their money and the most important thing is what happens on the pitch for 90 minutes. But even so, the players have to deal with things.
“Marc is fine, he’s doing his job. He knows he’s probably not at his best, but he’s not the only player going through a phase. He’s a player the club invested money in during the summer and it’s our job to help him, support him and get him to where he shows everyone his qualities.”
Potter – who is not active on social media himself – also defended Boehly’s Twitter activity, insisting that “liking” the article about Cucurella did not give a true picture of that personality.
“I don’t know. I can’t comment on that,” Potter said. “It’s not a reflection on Todd in any way. I don’t know how social media works and everyone here is really supportive of Marc and we’re trying to help him get back to his level and enjoy football. If a player enjoys football, there’s a good chance he’s going to play well.”
