Chelsea’s deal for Saul Niguez looked on the rocks for a moment as Atletico’s deal to sign Antoine Griezmann stalled. Nevertheless, both deals eventually managed to get through. Chelsea’s €5 million loan deal for the versatile midfielder delighted their fans across the globe. Here’s what we can expect from the dynamic 26-year-old.
What Deadline Day Signing Saul Niguez Can Offer Chelsea
A left-Footer Added to an Excellent Midfield Setup
Outsiders may look at a Saul signing and be confused by Chelsea’s decision to go after another midfielder to add to their outstanding trio that currently rotates. With Jorginho, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, Kante, UEFA Midfielder of the Year and serial winner Mateo Kovacic, why did they sign another midfielder? Saul, however, offers something that these three do not. He is left-footed.
Throughout his time at Atletico Madrid, he preferred to play down the left and it is something that Chelsea have lacked in the midfield. Looking further forward the left-footed options outweigh the right footers, with Hakim Ziyech, Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz all naturally left-footed. A defensive-minded left-footer could help as they would naturally feel more comfortable on the ball.
Youth Ignored but Experience Gained
The arrival of Saul Niguez was a necessity for Chelsea as manager Thomas Tuchel does not trust backup midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley. Two young midfielders, Billy Gilmour and Conor Gallagher, also departed on loan. Both left to gain valuable match experience in an attempt to rejoin the first team next year.
The reality for Chelsea is that they only have three central midfielders. Problems arose last time out against Liverpool when they went down to ten men and both Jorginho and Kante suffered injuries. Jorginho admirably played on before Trevor Chalobah came on to play in a central defensive midfield role (a position he played on loan at Huddersfield Town).
With Kante struggling more and more with injuries as years go by, he needs to be protected. The arrival of Saul will enable Chelsea to protect the Frenchman. If Chelsea take up their option to buy at the end of the season, however, a youngster may not get their chance to play next year.
Saul Niguez: The Engine
Saul isn’t a world-class defensive midfielder or a world-class attacking midfielder. Much more fitting for him is the term box-to-box midfielder. This one is consistent in both areas of the pitch and will fill in where necessary. He obtains skills similar to Frank Lampard in his ability to run off the ball and pop up at the right place at the right time.
The only issue, and it’s a big one, is that he struggles to put the ball in the net, having a high expected goals and very few goals scored (only two in the whole of last year). Saul likes to sit quite deep a lot of the time and tends to occupy space in between his own centre backs. This helps his team play out from the back. This would most likely suggest that he would be a rotation for Jorginho, who occupies a similar role.
Where Chelsea would benefit is in a burst of speed in comparison to Jorginho’s lack thereof. They would however miss the Italians passing ability, with Saul only averaging at slightly below the league median in La Liga last year.
Saul is Another Winner
More than anything, Saul joins Chelsea as a winner. Not only did he help Atletico dominate La Liga last year but he has won two Europa Leagues and a UEFA Super Cup. He will be dying to get his hands on the Champions League having played all 120 minutes in the 2016 final against Real Madrid.
Saul will work hard and if any manager can take him to the next level and improve him either in the defensive sense or the attacking sense, it will be Thomas Tuchel. More depth and more strength in the centre of the pitch will make Chelsea dominate on all fronts this year. Saul is another dimension to transform the team into world-beaters.
Main Photo
