Todd Boehly's summer ploy that saw Chelsea acquire both Marc Cucurella and Graham Potter from Brighton has been revealed, according to reports.
The Blues signed a total of nine players this summer as their new ownership, led by Boehly and Clearlake Capital, to control of their first transfer window.
A club-record £261 million was spent by Chelsea as they looked to significantly strengthen and add depth to the team.
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After the departures of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku, who is on loan at Inter Milan, reinforcements were required.
Deals for both Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly were completed first and towards the back end of the window the west London side added Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
As well as some youngster arriving at the club, such as Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei, there was also a move made for Brighton's Cucurella.
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In a transfer worth up to £63 million the Spaniard completed a sensational move to the Blues. The 24-year-old has got off to bright start at Stamford Bridge, featuring in all the games so far this season.
He has provided two assists in six Premier League appearances and has slotted into the wing-back role very comfortably.
It looks as though he is the favoured option over Ben Chilwell, but that is a tough battle to judge as Chilwell is only just returning from a long-term injury.
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What could end up giving Cucurella the edge is that his former manager at Brighton, Potter, has signed a five-year deal with Chelsea.
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The 47-year-old has spoken on his excitement to be taking charge of the Blues and that he is looking forward to what's ahead.
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On the south coast the wing-back was a key part of Potter's team last season after signing from Getafe for £15 million.
While Thomas Tuchel getting the sack was a surprise, Cucurella may have known it was coming according to recent reports.
Fabrizio Romano shared on Twitter: "During negotiations between Chelsea and Brighton in August, Todd Boehly asked Marc Cucurella and his agents about Graham Potter... as he was already well informed on his ideas and tactics."
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So Boehly decided to utilise the signing of Cucurella to help him find out more about the Englishman. This suggests the plan to bring in Potter stemmed in August and now he has been reunited with his former player.
Chelsea take on FC Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday night in what will be Potter's first match. It will be interesting to see whether Cucurella gets the nod to start ahead of England international Chilwell.
Topics: Chelsea, Marc Cucurella, Graham Potter, Football, Todd Boehly
Sam Collins