"Finding those right elements, the first time at anything is tricky. So you're going to make mistakes and obviously having taken over in the circumstances that we did, basically the whole management team left. I was stuck being interim sporting director for the summer having no idea what made a good football player."
"But knowing that Marc Cucurella, if Man City wants him, I want him. It was really simple that way."
Todd Boehly, Chelsea's co-owner, acquired the club through a Boehly/Clearlake Capital takeover and temporarily served as interim sporting director during summer 2022 despite lacking football expertise. Among significant transfers that summer was the £63 million signing of Marc Cucurella from Brighton. Boehly revealed his acquisition strategy was straightforward: if Manchester City wanted a player, he wanted them too. Cucurella had been a City target who submitted a transfer request, but the clubs failed to reach a deal. Chelsea ultimately paid Brighton's asking price where City would not. The Spanish left-back, now 27, has become a Euro 2024 winner and made over 140 appearances for Chelsea under a contract extending to June 2028.
Read at ESPN.com
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