This summer’s Euro 2024 tournament has been an interesting one from a Chelsea perspective, with numerous of their talents excelling, alongside some of their former talents.
Marc Cucurella has undoubtedly been the biggest surprise, starring at left-back for winners Spain, claiming the assist for Mikel Oyarzabal’s winning goal against England in Sunday’s showpiece.
However, the Blues also had one player who excelled in the same fixture, with Cole Palmer scoring a beautiful strike which gave the entire country hope of winning the tournament under Gareth Southgate.
Chelsea have also sold their fair share of talents in the past, including centre-back Marc Guehi, who looked phenomenal at the heart of England’s defence alongside John Stones, with the club undoubtedly regretting their decision to let him depart Stamford Bridge.
COLD PALMER 🥶
ENGLAND ARE LEVEL!#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #ESPENG pic.twitter.com/dkSBpfzr18
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 14, 2024
Cucurella & Guehi’s stats at Euro 2024
After joining the club for £63m back in the summer of 2022, a lot of expectations were placed on the shoulders of Spaniard full-back Cucurella following his impressive stint at Brighton.
However, he’s struggled at Stamford Bridge, even featuring on the left of a back three in an attempt to find his best position for Chelsea.
His spell for his nation this summer has certainly injected hope into the Blues faithful that he can start to prove why the club forked out such a hefty sum for his services.
In his six appearances at the European Championships, the 25-year-old achieved a pass completion rate of 90% whilst also winning 75% of the tackles that he attempted during the competition.
The goal that won Spain the Euros 🏆#Euro2024 #ESPENG pic.twitter.com/XYpb49UL0r
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 14, 2024
On the other hand, Guehi, who left Chelsea for £20m back in the summer of 2021, showcased what the Blues are missing with some excellent displays at his first major tournament with England.
The centre-back was Harry Maguire’s replacement for the tournament and looked as though he had featured for his nation for many years, winning 24 duels in his six appearances – an average of four per game.
| Cucurella and Guehi’s stats at Euro 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Statistics | Cucurella | Guehi |
| Games | 6 | 6 |
| Minutes played | 546 | 570 |
| Assists | 1 | 1 |
| Pass accuracy | 90% | 94% |
| Tackles won | 75% | 67% |
| Duels won | 33 | 24 |
| Recoveries | 21 | 28 |
| Stats via FotMob | ||
He also grabbed the vital assist for Jude Bellingham’s bicycle kick equaliser at the round of 16 stage against Slovakia.
However, despite their respective impressive performances for the nations, they’re both still valued lower than one Chelsea player who has struggled with injuries in recent times.
Reece James’ market value in 2024
After coming through the academy, full-back Reece James has cemented himself as one of the best right-backs in the world – totalling 23 goal involvements in the Premier League – but he’s suffered multiple injuries in recent months.
The 24-year-old could only muster 11 Premier League appearances in 2023/24, but he’s still managed to maintain his market value.
The “world-class” James, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is still valued at £34m as per Transfermarkt.
Meanwhile, big-money addition Cucurella is only valued at £21m, with Guehi worth just £32m despite his excellent tournament for England this summer.
One thing is for sure, the Blues have made their errors when it comes to the transfer market, with allowing Guehi to depart without a buy-back option certainly coming back to bite them.
However, they have a knack for developing elite youngsters, with James one of the players who’s thrived after coming through the Cobham academy, just like Guehi has elsewhere.
His injury problems have been a concern, but should he stay fit for the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign, new boss Enzo Maresca would have a sensational talent on his hands who would massively boost their ambitions of returning to Champions League football.
Going from academy talent to the captaincy in the space of a few years certainly isn’t bad going, is it? The Blues have hit gold here.
