In a recent tweet, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano offered an update on Chelsea‘s pursuit of Atletico Madrid playmaker Saul Niguez. It has been revealed that the Blues are trying to offload some of their fringe players before they can make a decision on whether to seal a move for the Spanish midfielder before the end of this summer transfer window.
Chelsea are looking to sell/offload some other players before take decisions on Koundé/Saúl deals. 🔵 #CFC @SkySport
Zappacosta set to join Fiorentina on loan + option.
Bologna want Malang Sarr on loan.
Bakayoko one step away from joining AC Milan on loan.
Ugbo, decision soon.— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 20, 2021
Saul’s Important Role Behind Atletico’s Title Win Last Season
Saul had a successful campaign at the Spanish capital recently as he managed to help the Spanish giants secure the La Liga title earlier this summer. The Elche-born midfield ace took part in 41 matches for Diego Simeone’s side last season, scoring two goals and earning one assist on all fronts.
The Spain international did a little bit of everything in midfield after he averaged 1.7 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, 0.9 clearances, 1.0 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per game in the Spanish top-flight. The 26-year-old was also quite careful when distributing the ball based on his pass completion rate of 84.4% in league football (stats via whoscored).
Saul is still under a long-term contract at the Wanda Metropolitano which is set to run out in the summer of 2026. Hence, it won’t be easy for Chelsea to agree on a deal for the Spaniard this late in the transfer window.
What Will Saul Add To Thomas Tuchel’s Team?
Saul can play a wide variety of passes from midfield and is proficient at keeping the ball moving while maintaining a high tempo going forward. He can get stuck in with some crunching tackles to hamper the opposition’s flow in the game and is often quick to scan the danger inside his half.
The Spaniard can anchor the midfield quite well and has got the vision to cut open the opponent’s defence with a decisive through ball in the final third. However, Saul needs to figure out a way to improve his productivity in the attacking end of the field if he wants to be a success story at a place like Stamford Bridge.
The 19-time Spain international will add even more depth to the Blues’ midfield because he is good enough to rival Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante for a regular starting spot in Thomas Tuchel’s first team.
At 26, Saul has entered the peak years of his playing career, so the Chelsea boss can expect to get the best out of him over the next few seasons if he can devise a way to get him on board before the transfer deadline on August 31st.
