In soccer, it is common for promising youngsters to be sold to other teams to find the space there and foster their development and success. However, many times this talent becomes so noticeable at other clubs that the original team wants the player to return home.
Clubs like FC Barcelona, in search of financial stability, sometimes have to let go of young talents. One of the recent cases that has put Joan Laporta and the sporting director, Deco, in check is that of Marc Cucurella.
The Player who Shines Outside of Barça
Marc Cucurella is an example of a promising player from La Masia who, without opportunities at Barcelona, left to excel at other clubs.
Cucurella arrived at Barça in 2012, signed from Espanyol for the cadet team, and continued his training in the different youth categories. In 2018, Barça decided to loan Cucurella to Eibar, where he would have more playing time.
Cucurella's successful time at Eibar led to his loan to Getafe, where he took the ultimate step in his professional career. His performance was so impressive that the Madrid club decided to pay 11.8 million euros to sign him.
At Getafe, Cucurella continued to show his qualities, attracting the attention of stronger European teams. In 2021, Brighton opted for Cucurella and his good performance led Chelsea to sign him for 65 million euros.
A Difficult Return to Barça
Today, Cucurella is an established defender at Chelsea and one of the most solid in the Premier League. Due to his growth, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has shown interest in bringing Cucurella back to strengthen the team at Camp Nou.
However, Laporta's desire has come up against an unbreakable barrier: Cucurella doesn't want to return. The player believes that his moment to shine at Barcelona has passed and that his career is taking a different direction.
Now that he's found stability in the Premier League at a renowned team like Chelsea, Cucurella prefers to continue advancing his career away from Barcelona. This refusal has been a blow to Deco, the sporting director who, according to rumors, was convinced that the defender would be willing to consider a return offer.
A Final Farewell
Marc Cucurella's refusal has been a lesson for Barcelona and its board. Seeking financial solutions and loaning or selling promising youngsters can have long-term consequences, as has been seen in this case.
Laporta, regretting having let him go at the time, has tried to make up for the mistake. However, the reality is that Cucu is not interested.