What Marc Cucurella said about N’Golo Kante reveals

Marc Cucurella has admitted that he wanted to find out whether N’Golo Kante was as quiet as reports have suggested upon his arrival at Chelsea – and revealed club captain Cesar Azpilicueta has played a key role in helping him settle in.

The 24-year-old sealed a £62m transfer from Brighton earlier this month having impressed greatly in his first season in English football.

Cucurella is the fourth Spanish player on the club’s books – alongside Azpilicueta, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Marcos Alonso – although it had looked likely that Chelsea skipper Azpilicueta would be departing for a new challenge at Barcelona this summer.

But the 32-year-old instead opted to sign a fresh contract at Stamford Bridge, and that has been a huge plus for the club’s newest recruit.

“Azpilicueta helped me a lot because he speaks Spanish so helps with the house, the school and the kids. It’s very good for me that the captain is Spanish and he helps me,” Cucurella revealed.

“He is a legend here with a long history in a big club, playing every game, so an important player.”

Cucurella also revealed how impressed he’d been with Reece James, someone he likes and even compares his own style to, and that he’d sought to find out if the stories of N’Golo Kante’s humbleness were actually true.

“I like a lot Reece James’s style of play. He’s a good player and plays right-back so it’s a similar position but on the other side,” the former Barcelona academy player said.

“The most curiosity for me before I came here was Kante because I read a lot of news that he’s very quiet and very human. I think this is true and I’m very happy to be here with him,” he explained.

Cucurella was in the headlines at the weekend after Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham, when referee Anthony Taylor failed to send off Cristian Romero for pulling him down at a corner by his hair.