Marc Cucerella’s barber and the ‘leaked’ Chelsea team news

When the Chelsea team was announced as kick-off approached before Tuesday’s game at Brighton, the news may not have been a surprise to some.

Screenshots of a post on social media platform X had been doing the rounds for hours, stating midfielder Cole Palmer and striker Joao Pedro would both be missing from the line-up. They were indeed absent.

It was claimed the post came from Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella’s barber.

“[Cole] Palmer and Joao Pedro both injured tonight,” it read. “There’s your exclusive.” There was also an image of the back of Cucurella’s distinctive curly hair.

In Palmer’s case, there was no public knowledge of his hamstring injury, while Joao Pedro had undergone a fitness test on the morning of the match.

Rosenior is known to keep his cards close to his chest when it comes to team selection and is said by those who know him to deliberately hold pre-match news conferences two days in advance in order to keep opposing managers guessing.

The post, which appeared to tag several accounts known for providing Fantasy Premier League advice, has been deleted, along with the entire account on which it appeared.

Having been deleted, it cannot be independently verified but the club has not denied its authenticity when asked about the post.

BBC Sport has also contacted the barber and Cucurella’s representatives for comment.

It would be the third instance in which team news has reportedly been leaked from Chelsea since Liam Rosenior’s appointment in early January.

Team news got out around both legs of Chelsea‘s Champions League tie with Paris St‑Germain. Rosenior said they had been “dealt with” and that they had “not come from any place of malicious intent towards me or the team”.

Chelsea are currently seventh in the Premier League table with four league matches left to play. They next play in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds at Wembley Stadium.