Cucurella completed a £51.7M move to Real Madrid just less than a week ago in what is one of the biggest transfers of the summer transfer window so far.
The Spaniard lifted the Club World Cup and Conference League with the Blues as he established himself as a pivotal player in the first team who have had a number of ups and downs since he signed from Brighton in 2022.
Now Cucurella has left for the Spanish capital, James spoke to talkSPORT about how much of a loss the 27 year old is to the side who will be looking for a straight replacement in the coming months.
"I spoke with him (Cucurella) a few days ago," said the Chelsea captain. "He's obviously an amazing player - one of the best left-backs in the world.
"This is his football, you know, players move every few months, and I'm devastated to see him go, but I wish him all the best."
Football.London report that Chelsea will seek to sign two starting-level players before the end of the summer transfer window, as replacements for Cucurella despite only earning £50M from his sale which may not prove to be enough for new manager Xabi Alonso.