Craig Burley

And listen, I think Kukerela is a top player and he's always a player that I don't doubt his commitment when he steps on the pitch.

But also, I don't feel that, you know, he is a player that really deserves to come out with those kinds of comments.

I look at

Cesc Fabregas, for example, when he left the club in 2011 or 2012, whenever it was, and he was itching to get out to Barcelona and we all knew that he had a deep relationship with the club and a deep connection.

And when he left, it was in sour taste, but he was the best player for us for the three seasons before that.

By far, he was the best player.

And so, you know, there's part of you that can understand, you know, when a player wants to leave and get out and, you know, sometimes it's not in the best circumstances.

But I don't think that that's the case with Kukurela.

I don't think he's been their best player for...

in the last three, four years and really warrants coming out with comments like this.

It does no benefit to him.

It does no benefit to the players.

And I'm sure that, you know, there'll be players like Reece James.

I'm sure he's, you know, who's someone who loves the club inside out, has been there since he's a kid.

He'll probably be looking at that and thinking, you know, what are you doing there?

So I just don't think that it was the right time for him to come out with comments like that, especially at such an important time in the club's position that they're in.

So if Rhys James was asked a question as an England international and as a big player for Chelsea, if he was asked a question about where he'd want to live one day, perhaps outside the UK, and he said Spain or Italy or whatever, he's quite within his rights to do that because maybe he wants to...

to taste that and take his family to see a different culture.

Is that a suspension?

I mean, is that the waters that we're treading in?