If a report from the Spanish outlet Marca is believed to be true, Chelsea are ready to part ways with Saul Ñíguez in January despite signing him on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid. They even have the option to make his move permanent next summer, but the Spaniard has failed to impress Thomas Tuchel in limited appearances over the past couple of months.
The Blues are in flying form across competitions. The European champions have already conquered the UEFA Super Cup defeating Villarreal and are also going strong in the Premier League with a three-point cushion at the top of the standings. Moreover, they have made it through to the quarterfinals of the League Cup and are closing in on a place in the Champions League knockouts despite being beaten by Juventus in a group stage fixture.
Saul, meanwhile, progressed through the youth ranks of Colchoneros before breaking into their senior side back in 2012 at the age of 17. He went on to make 340 senior appearances for his boyhood club (scoring 43 goals and laying on 20 more as cited by Transfermarket) before making a switch to Stamford Bridge on the summer deadline.
Despite winning the La Liga crown last season, the Spain international struggled at times to meet the manager’s demands. Diego Simeone did not block his exit in spite of a contract at Wanda Metropolitano until the summer of 2026 and Chelsea, keen on bolstering the midfield set-up, roped him in ahead of the other suitors. However, the transfer has gone wrong so far due to the lack of minutes in the middle of the park for him.
Why He Is Surplus To Requirements At Chelsea
Saul was handed a league start against Aston Villa, but the gaffer opted to replace him with Jorginho at half-time. He struggled to attune to the pace of the English game and also got dispossessed far too frequently while operating from a deep-lying role. His other starts have been in the League Cup outings and the emergence of Ruben Loftus-Cheek has sent him further down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
While the likes of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho have mostly been rotated in the two central midfield slots, Saul’s situation is unlikely to improve even though there would be fixture congestion in the aftermath of the international break. A return to Atletico Madrid might help him get his career back on track but, at the same time, should compete for a first-team spot following the summer arrival of Rodrigo De Paul. It is to be seen now whether he can turn things around in West London by the end of 2021.
