[Albion] Marc Cucurella *Signed For Chelsea 05/08/2022*

[Brok]

Blue Moon still have almost twice the number of posts in their Cucu thread than we have. It’s their Calleri moment

I'll take a bet that most of them aren't from Manchester.

 

[Mancgull]

I’ve just seen Cucu’s ‘thank you Seagulls!’ Video on Instagram. Hundreds of comments underneath it, virtually all from Chelsea fans with ‘welcome to Chelsea’ messages. Why they have to comment on a message to Brighton fans I really don’t know.
All a bit glitzy.
Anyway, good luck to him apart from our games against Chelsea, and thanks for your efforts in the 2021/22 season and the nice £40m plus profit.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

The BBC are saying in excess of £60million - which I am assuming includes add-ons - but that is a massive amount of money for Cucu. the club has taken in lose to £100m this off-season (on top of the money for White and Burn last season) and spent very little. Unfortunately that is a recipe for trouble in the PL.

Since the beginning of last season the defence has lost White, Burn, and now Cucu and Duffy - that leaves Webster, Dunk and Veltman with Lampety out wide. After that there are serious question marks. March is limited. Clarke is unproven at PL level - he has done well in the Championship but that doesn't mean he can do it in the PL. Colwill is in a similar boat - but with less experience than Clarke - and has been injury prone. And the jury is out on van Hecke as well. Its a long season - one injury to any of the four main guys - or having to rotate people out - and it could all go up in flames. This is a concern - and there is a question mark over why this money is not being spent.

As an aside - how many people were saying that Brighton would never bring any kid in on loan from another PL team?

 

[raymondo]

The sale of Cucu is the pinnacle of Bloom/Barber/Potter's (pick your sequence) stated club mission gone into overdrive. It's simply stunning that Cucu has been polished/encouraged into being one of the best left backs in Europe in simply one season. Credit Cucu too, as he took his chance, worked hard, and has got his reward.
Is Cucu's unique skillset directly replaceable? probably not. But it doesn't need to be. GP has shown that there are many ways of playing football during a game, and I'm confident he and the squad will find ways to keep aiming for the top 10. Cucu will find it harder this season, IMO, as every opposition game plan will be to blunt his skills.
I'm looking forward to this season - Albion plus other teams - there have been a number of interesting club moves (Cucu, Biss, Jesus, Sterling, Phillips.....), and it's going to be fun seeing how they get on.

 

[Robinjakarta]

I'll be booing him on his return to the Amex.

Grow up.

 

[Icy Gull]

The BBC are saying in excess of £60million - which I am assuming includes add-ons - but that is a massive amount of money for Cucu. the club has taken in lose to £100m this off-season (on top of the money for White and Burn last season) and spent very little. Unfortunately that is a recipe for trouble in the PL.

Since the beginning of last season the defence has lost White, Burn, and now Cucu and Duffy - that leaves Webster, Dunk and Veltman with Lampety out wide. After that there are serious question marks. March is limited. Clarke is unproven at PL level - he has done well in the Championship but that doesn't mean he can do it in the PL. Colwill is in a similar boat - but with less experience than Clarke - and has been injury prone. And the jury is out on van Hecke as well. Its a long season - one injury to any of the four main guys - or having to rotate people out - and it could all go up in flames. This is a concern - and there is a question mark over why this money is not being spent.

As an aside - how many people were saying that Brighton would never bring any kid in on loan from another PL team?

When did the window shut? Shit we ARE in trouble. I was expecting us to bring in a few more players before it slammed shut and now I find it has closed

I knew I should have stayed away from this thread when I said I would

 

[rool]

The BBC are saying in excess of £60million - which I am assuming includes add-ons - but that is a massive amount of money for Cucu. the club has taken in lose to £100m this off-season (on top of the money for White and Burn last season) and spent very little. Unfortunately that is a recipe for trouble in the PL.

Since the beginning of last season the defence has lost White, Burn, and now Cucu and Duffy - that leaves Webster, Dunk and Veltman with Lampety out wide. After that there are serious question marks. March is limited. Clarke is unproven at PL level - he has done well in the Championship but that doesn't mean he can do it in the PL. Colwill is in a similar boat - but with less experience than Clarke - and has been injury prone. And the jury is out on van Hecke as well. Its a long season - one injury to any of the four main guys - or having to rotate people out - and it could all go up in flames. This is a concern - and there is a question mark over why this money is not being spent.

As an aside - how many people were saying that Brighton would never bring any kid in on loan from another PL team?

Isn't there another Irish manager or Irish club you might be more interested in following?

 

[GT49er]

When did the window shut? Shit we ARE in trouble. I was expecting us to bring in a few more players before it slammed shut and now I find it has closed

I knew I should have stayed away from this thread when I said I would

Perhaps JRG's range of knowedge doesn't extend to the fact that two of the players he derides were POTS in their Championship teams lst season. So, pretty damn good Championship players then.Granted, no player is guaranteed to make the step up - but neither are they guaranteed to fail.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

The BBC are saying in excess of £60million - which I am assuming includes add-ons - but that is a massive amount of money for Cucu. the club has taken in lose to £100m this off-season (on top of the money for White and Burn last season) and spent very little. Unfortunately that is a recipe for trouble in the PL.

Since the beginning of last season the defence has lost White, Burn, and now Cucu and Duffy - that leaves Webster, Dunk and Veltman with Lampety out wide. After that there are serious question marks. March is limited. Clarke is unproven at PL level - he has done well in the Championship but that doesn't mean he can do it in the PL. Colwill is in a similar boat - but with less experience than Clarke - and has been injury prone. And the jury is out on van Hecke as well. Its a long season - one injury to any of the four main guys - or having to rotate people out - and it could all go up in flames. This is a concern - and there is a question mark over why this money is not being spent.

As an aside - how many people were saying that Brighton would never bring any kid in on loan from another PL team?

On your last point do you not think it prudent to bring in another body to cover for a player we had not intended to sell ? I wouldn’t have thought bringing in loan players is a part of the plan (still) but it gives some breathing space whilst planning a new signing.

 

[bomber130]

60+ mil we have pulled their trousers down and give em a right good spanking. Well done BHA, in light of all the homophonic comments at games we are not the ones with a sore arse this evening.


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[Jim in the West]

The BBC are saying in excess of £60million - which I am assuming includes add-ons - but that is a massive amount of money for Cucu. the club has taken in lose to £100m this off-season (on top of the money for White and Burn last season) and spent very little. Unfortunately that is a recipe for trouble in the PL.

Since the beginning of last season the defence has lost White, Burn, and now Cucu and Duffy - that leaves Webster, Dunk and Veltman with Lampety out wide. After that there are serious question marks. March is limited. Clarke is unproven at PL level - he has done well in the Championship but that doesn't mean he can do it in the PL. Colwill is in a similar boat - but with less experience than Clarke - and has been injury prone. And the jury is out on van Hecke as well. Its a long season - one injury to any of the four main guys - or having to rotate people out - and it could all go up in flames. This is a concern - and there is a question mark over why this money is not being spent.

As an aside - how many people were saying that Brighton would never bring any kid in on loan from another PL team?

I think you've partially answered your point with the last statement - we've brought in additional manpower in the shape of Colwill.

I think you can easily argue that we didn't miss White or Burn last season, and we won't miss Duffy (as he hardly played, and when he did he was a bit of a liability).

Having said that, I would be more comfortable with another decent defender in the squad, and I'm sure the club are looking to bring someone in. But it's not panic stations!

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

With £50 million+ coming in does that mean the fee for printing tickets at home can be reduced or removed? [emoji848]

Once the milk has been sorted [emoji1303]


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[Paulie Gualtieri]

The sale of Cucu is the pinnacle of Bloom/Barber/Potter's (pick your sequence) stated club mission gone into overdrive. It's simply stunning that Cucu has been polished/encouraged into being one of the best left backs in Europe in simply one season. Credit Cucu too, as he took his chance, worked hard, and has got his reward.
Is Cucu's unique skillset directly replaceable? probably not. But it doesn't need to be. GP has shown that there are many ways of playing football during a game, and I'm confident he and the squad will find ways to keep aiming for the top 10. Cucu will find it harder this season, IMO, as every opposition game plan will be to blunt his skills.
I'm looking forward to this season - Albion plus other teams - there have been a number of interesting club moves (Cucu, Biss, Jesus, Sterling, Phillips.....), and it's going to be fun seeing how they get on.

Let’s not forget the impact Marcelo Bielsa has had on him and all of us, if we are being honest


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[Justice]

On your last point do you not think it prudent to bring in another body to cover for a player we had not intended to sell ? I wouldn’t have thought bringing in loan players is a part of the plan (still) but it gives some breathing space whilst planning a new signing.

He’s not saying that he’s saying everyone had this notion we don’t loans on here. I’ve never heard the club say that personally but there you go.

 

[Justice]

Once the milk has been sorted [emoji1303]


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I was hoping we can stop cheap skating on Pepsi and get the real stuff back.

 

[GT49er]

I don't think Chelsea are fangling a 'Colwill Carrot' at all - they just want the biggest price (with conditions, probably) to offset against what they pay for Cucurella. If they can get Cucurella for what is effectively £30M plus Colwill they'll be doing celebratory cartwheels all the way down the Kings Road!

Well, I called that one wrong, it seems! Amazed, though, how many people seem to think that loaning us Colwill is a better result for Chelsea than selling him. I always wanted us to get and keep all the Cucurella money. We may - or may not - have rinsed Chelsea in this, but I'd have been quite unhappy if they'd rinsed us back a third of it for a relatively untried, albeit promising, youngster.

As it is, they've given him to us for a season - double win for us, methinks.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Apparently according to his welcome Insta, it’s always been a dream since a child to play for Chelsea, odd that it was only City?


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[Bra]

The BBC are saying in excess of £60million - which I am assuming includes add-ons - but that is a massive amount of money for Cucu. the club has taken in lose to £100m this off-season (on top of the money for White and Burn last season) and spent very little. Unfortunately that is a recipe for trouble in the PL.

Since the beginning of last season the defence has lost White, Burn, and now Cucu and Duffy - that leaves Webster, Dunk and Veltman with Lampety out wide. After that there are serious question marks. March is limited. Clarke is unproven at PL level - he has done well in the Championship but that doesn't mean he can do it in the PL. Colwill is in a similar boat - but with less experience than Clarke - and has been injury prone. And the jury is out on van Hecke as well. Its a long season - one injury to any of the four main guys - or having to rotate people out - and it could all go up in flames. This is a concern - and there is a question mark over why this money is not being spent.

As an aside - how many people were saying that Brighton would never bring any kid in on loan from another PL team?

A I said on another thread the money is insane and way too good to turn down. It, as it stands, means we are weaker as a team and certainly as a defence but the club have time to correct that issue and will need to before the window shuts. Without that replacement I do agree that we could struggle a little, although I am confident that we still have too much for relegation to be a real problem.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Almost worth it's own thread on how the CDM position developed over time, and how it fits in with Potter's preferred tactics.

The average position map away to Spurs, you would be forgiven for thinking no.8 was a centre half in a back 4. In fact, you can go through various average position maps and Bissouma is often the 2nd or 3rd deepest outfield player.

https://www.northstandchat.com/images/attach/png.gif

When Bissouma was unavailable and Webster was back home to Saints, our midfield was a flat 3, and even when Bissouma was back, again with Webster available, Bissouma was pretty much level with the rest of the midfield (granted I think he went off HT to WHU).

https://www.northstandchat.com/images/attach/png.gif

I'd say it's pretty clear that Bissouma was essential in a CDM role when we went to a 3 and Webster wasn't available. When Webster was available, he reverted to a more conventional CM, or our midfield shared the duties. However, Webster unavailable home to MU, Bissouma returned to a position shielding Dunk as one of the deeper lying players.

If Webster is fit and stays fit then think we'll see more of that flat 3 average position in midfield and the need for an outright CDM won't be missed as such, but it is when we want to play a 3 that absolutely need that shield, and that is perhaps where we saw Mac Allister start to operate. Bissouma certainly gave Potter options in terms of shape for his defence. My guess is he will go with a back 4 against MU on Sunday with 3 strung across the centre midfield replicating the Southampton shape. Then again, what do I know!


https://www.northstandchat.com/images/attach/png.gif

That makes for interesting reading. If we can look beyond the position the player is stood in we can see that nobody on our team is as good at ball recovery/turnovers as Bissouma. That’s where my concern lies, I don’t mind if our ‘CDM’ is positioned in a midfield 2,3,4 or 5, wether they’re lined up on the CB’s toes or plum in the middle of the park, I just want to know we have a natural ball winner in the midfield.

 

[Bold Seagull]

That makes for interesting reading. If we can look beyond the position the player is stood in we can see that nobody on our team is as good at ball recovery/turnovers as Bissouma. That’s where my concern lies, I don’t mind if our ‘CDM’ is positioned in a midfield 2,3,4 or 5, wether they’re lined up on the CB’s toes or plum in the middle of the park, I just want to know we have a natural ball winner in the midfield.

I'm not sure anyone in the PL can match Bissouma for that, but in Mac A, Caicedo, Mwepu - we have a dynamic 3 that can be all ball winners and what they lack in Bissouma's ball winning, they may well make up for in their eye for goal.