Ben Chilwell insists competition for places can be a good thing at Chelsea following the arrival of Marc Cucurella.
The £62m signing from Brighton was handed a brief debut against Everton on Saturday after a whirlwind 24 hours to have seen him complete what had become a slightly protracted move to the west London club.
While Thomas Tuchel is keen to strengthen in all areas between now and the end of the transfer window, eyebrows may well have been raised given Chilwell’s return from injury.
A key player last season until damaging ligaments in his knee during a 4-0 Champions League win over Juventus towards the turn of the year, there was a feeling at the club that his long-term lay-off played a major role in the collapse of Chelsea’s title challenge.
Back in the side at Goodison Park on Saturday, the 25-year-old won what proved to be a decisive penalty to ensure Tuchel got the new campaign off to a winning start.
Cucurella’s arrival will naturally make regular game time harder to come by, although the former Leicester City star has stressed that is simply what happens at big clubs.
Speaking after the game, Chilwell said: “We’re at Chelsea so there’s going to be a lot of good players here.
“Competition for places is going to be fierce and obviously we’re going to push each other the same as everyone else in the team.”
