Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that Marc Cucurella could leave Chelsea this summer. The 24-year-old defender has been heavily linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge following the return of Ian Maatsen, who enjoyed a very successful loan spell at Burnley.
The Cobham graduate, who sees his contract at Stamford Bridge expire in 2024, featured 39 times for Vincent Kompany's side in the Championship last season, directly contributing towards ten goals from left-back. He played a major role in helping Burnley secure promotion back into the Premier League, with his efforts reportedly courting the interest of Pochettino.
According to CaughtOffside, the former Tottenham boss has personally blocked Maatsen from leaving the club this summer. The report states that Pochettino is keen to assess the Netherlands Under-21 international in pre-season, blocking an approach from Burnley to re-sign the youngster.
Assuming Ben Chilwell retains his place in the Chelsea starting lineup, Pochettino will still be left with three other left-backs who will be keen to deputise the England international – Cucurella, Maatsen and Lewis Hall. The former faces an increasingly uncertain future at the club following a disappointing campaign, while the latter is a midfielder by trade and could very well provide cover in said department.
By handing Maatsen the chance to rival Chilwell for a place in the first-team, he would likely replace the Spaniard's place in the squad – just 12-months after signing him for an eye-watering £62million. Speaking to Sky Sports in January, Kompany explained exactly why the Dutchman deserve a chance at the highest level.
"Ian is doing exactly what he needs to be doing," said the Burnley boss. "With his stature, he's not making the game about what the other players want, it's about what he has in terms of his skill and tools.
"He's part of such a very strong list of players who have done really well for us this season. The ingredients are always the same.
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"He's got to be coachable in a sense that when he's not doing well we've got to be able to tell him and eventually learn from his mistakes. He's got to be willing to work hard, he does that terrifically, and get better.
"He's just turning into something that we expected him to be able to become. He's a very, very versatile full-back with lots of energy and great potential."
