Newcastle United wanted to sign a left-back during the summer transfer window, and Chelsea had one they wanted rid of.
Marc Cucurella was heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge over the summer, and was a target for Eddie Howe, who looked to provide more competition for Dan Burn.
There was talk of a loan move to St James’ Park for Cucurella, with Dan Ashworth a big fan of the Spaniard. They previously worked together at Brighton, with Ashworth being the one responsible for bringing Cucurella to the Premier League.
However, they were not reunited on Tyneside. During the summer transfer window, it was reported that Newcastle had told Chelsea they would not be making a move for Cucurella, despite their desire to get rid after a disappointing debut year. The 25-year-old had struggled to prove he was worth the £62million that he had cost, and the Blues were ready to cut their losses.
But Newcastle signed his Chelsea teammate Lewis Hall instead, and Cucurella remained in West London.
Staying put looked like it would be a mistake, but fortune has actually handed the former Barcelona defender an opportunity.
Chelsea boss delighted with Marc Cucurella
With Mauricio Pochettino suffering multiple injuries at the back, Cucurella has actually started Chelsea’s previous three games. He has performed very well, helping them pick up seven points in the process.
One of those came against Arsenal on Saturday evening, when Cucurella had to handle the red hot Bukayo Saka.
But Cucurella marshalled him brilliantly, and received huge praise from his manager after the game.
He is training really well, that is why he is playing like today, against a very good player like Saka.,” Pochettino told the Evening Standard.
“That is him, he deserves the credit because in the last few months he has worked hard and was able to play on the right side, yes, in this way, only what can happen is the team will be better.”
Newcastle will still be happy they said no to transfer
While Cucurella is now proving that he perhaps would have been a good signing for Newcastle, there will be no regrets at St James’ Park.
Instead, Newcastle have invested in the future by agreeing a deal to sign Hall next year. He is only 19, and has the potential to become a major star on Tyneside.
Hall’s arrival has coincided with Dan Burn playing some outstanding football, proving that the club did not need someone to come in who could immediately challenge for a place in the starting XI.
Newcastle thought long term when they decided to say no to Cucurella and bring in Hall. While he might now be proving that he would have been a strong addition, Newcastle definitely will not be pondering whether or not they made a mistake.
As always, this is a case of trusting the process and looking to the future.
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