Marc Cucurella speaks with former teammate Noni Madueke’s decision to leave Chelsea in Club World Cup camp early to seal his move to Arsenal
Marc Cucurella has shared his opinion about former teammate, Noni Madueke leaving Chelsea's Club World Cup camp early to seal his move to Arsenal, calling it a “mistake.”
Madueke had featured in five of Chelsea’s six matches on the road to the final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium before leaving camp.
Enzo Maresca's men went on to triumph at the tournament in the US, defeating PSG side 3 - 0 in the final.
Madueke, 23, could have had his hands on a winner's medal but opted to leave camp to finalise his transfer to the Gunners.
Cucurella discussed Madueke's exit during a Q&A with young players at his football academy in Spain.
Asked if he thought the decision was "strange", he responded, as per talkSPORT: "Yes, I think so. I think he missed a good opportunity (although) he wasn’t playing as a starter
"I do think it was because of everything that was happening regarding his future and, in the end, I think it could have delayed him a couple of days since he left a day early or something like that. It wouldn’t have cost him anything to wait for that next day. In the end, I think he missed a pretty good opportunity."
Madueke spent two and a half years at Stamford Bridge after signing in January 2023. During that time, he made 92 appearances and scored 20 goals, with 63 of those appearances coming alongside Cucurella.