James ‘devastated’ by Cucurella’s Chelsea exit
Reece James revealed he is “devastated” after Marc Cucurella decided to leave Chelsea for Real Madrid this summer.
Cucurella completed a reported €60m (£51.8m) move from Stamford Bridge to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu last week, joining Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konate in the Spanish capital.
The Spaniard made 163 appearances for the Blues after joining from Brighton in 2022, providing 11 assists and scoring nine goals.
The 27-year-old won the Club World Cup and Conference League, both under Enzo Maresca in 2024-25, while he also finished as runner-up in the FA Cup final this season.
James and Cucurella played 93 games together for Chelsea, winning 46 of those matches (D18 L29).
The Chelsea captain was sad to see his defensive partner leave, but accepted it is the nature of the sport.
“Yeah, I spoke with him [Cucurella] a few days ago,” James told talkSPORT.
“You know, he’s obviously an amazing player, one of the best left-backs in the world, for sure.
“This is football. Players move every few months and I’m devastated to see him go. But I wish him all the best.”
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@Cucurella3
Group stage | FIFA World Cup 2026 pic.twitter.com/pQKi5gHJvM— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) June 21, 2026
James is currently on international duty with England at the World Cup, but will return to a new era at Chelsea upon his return.
Xabi Alonso will prepare for his first season in charge of the Blues ahead of 2026-27, his first role since leaving his post as Real Madrid boss in January.
James is looking forward to working with Alonso, who won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal during his time with Bayer Leverkusen.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to about him [Alonso] says he’s an amazing manager, more known from his playing career,” James added.
“He had an amazing career and I’m excited to work with him.”
