Graham Potter has insisted Marc Cucurella has the strength of character to battle through a difficult start to his Chelsea career and suggests Manchester City‘s previous interest in the defender is proof he has the quality to excel at Stamford Bridge.
Cucurella has been booed by sections of the Blues’ fanbase in recent matches and earlier this week it was revealed the 24-year-old’s house was burgled shortly after making a £63million move from Brighton last summer.
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City were keen on signing Cucurella at the end of last season — with the player handing in a transfer request in an effort to force through an agreement — but ultimately the Premier League champions refused to meet Brighton’s asking price.
When asked about the former Barcelona and Getafe defender’s resolve, Potter said on Friday: “If you do any research about Marc in Spain, [his] character was fantastic. The team that was interested in him [Manchester City], I don’t think they’d be interested if he didn’t have the character he has.