There was a bit of a surprise transfer rumour that has gathered a lot of pace in the last day or two involving Chelsea, and as always, it has raised a debate.
Chelsea were lightly linked with Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid, but in recent hours those links have grown and reports of an official offer going in from Chelsea have surfaced.
Please take a moment to check out my own Chelsea News website, bringing you the latest inside information, weekly Podcasts, and all your general Chelsea news. All FREE content, and FREE to subscribe here!
So, If Chelsea get this over the line, what will he bring to this squad?
Experience
Saul is 26-years old and he has experience of playing top level and European football in abundance. Having played for Real Madrid at youth level, he then went on to make well over 250 appearances for Atletico Madrid in La Liga, getting 19 caps for Spain along the way.
His experience will prove an influential addition to Chelsea’s young squad, even though he is still fairly fresh and coming to an age where we will soon be seeing his peak football.
Versatility
Although mostly he operates as a number 8, Saul can play in a number of different roles, including out wide on the left, which is where he played for Atleti in a recent friendly against Feyenoord.
As well as that, he is also more than comfortable playing in front of the back four, in a double pivot, or even in one of the 10 positions, so his versatility could prove very useful for Tuchel in a long and gruelling season.
Quality
Whilst he hasn’t been at the top of his game recently, the quality that he has is clear for anyone to see, and adding that to any squad will be a major plus point. He is a perfect all-rounder, a real complete midfielder and as explained above, he can do a good job mostly anywhere on the pitch and provide creativity in attack, as well as solidarity at the back. He is robust, physical, and has endless energy. He loves to press, which will be perfect for Tuchel’s football. He can score, create, and defend very well, so his all-round quality he brings to the pitch would be very welcome for Chelsea.
He also has a great mentality, the type of mentality that Tuchel LOVES.
No lose deal
Chelsea are reportedly trying to sign him on a loan deal with an OPTION to buy, not an OBLIGATION.
This is perfectly safe and offers up a win win situation. If he performs like we know he can, then Chelsea have added a quality player that they can sign in the summer if they wish to, a lot like they did with Mateo Kovacic when he joined. But if he flops, which I don’t think he will, then Chelsea send him back to Atletico Madrid next summer really not losing out on anything apart from maybe a small loan fee and a bit of wages contribution.
He wants to play in the Premier League, and Manchester United and Liverpool are also in real contention.
Chelsea appear to be leading this race right now, but the fact that Manchester United and Liverpool are also both in contention for Saul, tells you all you need to know about the type of player any club that signs him will be getting. He is rated highly in world football and make no mistake, if these types of clubs are moving for him, there is a real player there to be got.
He wants to prove himself in the Premier League, so he wont be coming here for a nice holiday in the rain… I mean who wants to swap sunny and warm Spain for dark and wet England?? He will be coming here to prove that he has what it takes to play in the best and most competitive league in the world, he has that desire to make it here, and that kind of desire sits very well with me.
That about sums my thoughts up, I say it’s a bit of a no brainer to be honest…
