Marc Cucurella: Everything Brighton fans need to know about about Spanish international

The 23-year-old, who can play at left-back or as a wide midfielder is the club's third addition to the senior squad of the summer transfer window, following the earlier arrival of Enock Mwepu and Kjell Scherpen.

It is understood Albion paid around £15m to secure his services.

Head coach Graham Potter said, "We have been keen to bring Marc to the club, and we are really pleased to finally welcome him here and are excited to begin working with him.

"He has had a fantastic education in the youth teams at Barcelona and he has gone onto make a real impression in La Liga and within the national set up. He is a versatile player, and he will add competition and options to the squad.”

Cucurella spent time as a youth player with Espanyol before moving across the city to join Barcelona in 2012, where he would play for their B team, going onto make his first-team debut in the Copa del Rey in October 2017.

A successful loan with Eibar followed, before he spent the 2019/20 campaign on loan with Getafe.

Getafe would make the move permanent, and Cucurella helped them to a 15th place finish in Spain’s top-flight last season, and in total he made 85 appearances for Getafe, scoring four times.

He has represented Spain from Under-16s all the way up to senior level, making his senior team debut in a 4-0 win against Lithuania in June and represented Spain at this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Who is Cucurella

The 5 ft 8 inch 23-year-old Spaniard plays predominantly on the left side of midfield but can also be deployed at left back.

With one senior international cap, and having represented Spain at every level from under 16 to under 23, Cucurella possesses great pedigree, and is highly thought of within the Spanish set-up.

This, combined with the player’s time at Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy, makes for a very exciting prospect.

He represented Spain at the Olympics. This versatility could make him a perfect buy for Graham Potter’s side, with the Brighton manager often opting to play five in defence; a place at left-wing back could get the best out of the Spaniard.

Fast feet, neat passing, and a high defensive work rate must also interest Potter. The Brighton boss’ intent to play attractive football, whilst also being pragmatic against the stronger sides, seems to be embodied in Cucurella, whose good technical ability is matched by his defensive grit and determination.

At left-wing back, however, he could prove a valuable asset.