Chelsea star with inside knowledge reveals what to expect from Saul Niguez (original) (raw)

Marcos Alonso has predicted that Saul Niguez will be an ideal fit for the Premier League after signing for Chelsea.

Signing Saul on deadline day capped off another busy summer for Chelsea, who had also broken their transfer record to bring back Romelu Lukaku earlier in the window. They have paid a much lower sum to add Saul to their squad, spending £4.5m to take him on loan for the season. They have the option to buy him permanently from Atletico Madrid for approximately £30m.

The midfielder has been a regular for Atletico Madrid in recent seasons, helping them to the La Liga title last season. In total, he played 340 times for their first team and 70 for their B team.

Now, though, a new challenge awaits the former Rayo Vallecano loanee. In joining Chelsea, he has ventured outside Spain for the first time in his club career.

Saul will be competing for a place in Chelsea’s midfield with the likes of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount.

He will make a positive impression, though, according to compatriot and current Chelsea player Alonso.

The left-back told the club website: “I know Saul from the national team, and also we shared a manager when we were in the Real Madrid academy.

“He’s a great player. His conditions are going to be good for the Premier League. He is strong physically, he is very good in the air, and those are things you need when you move to this league.

“He is ready to kick off and hopefully we can take advantage of his qualities and he will be of great help to the team, because it’s going to be a long year, with a lot of competitions.”

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It will be beneficial for Saul to learn English as well to get fully up to speed in the Premier League. Alonso joked he would be better asking him for advice on the language than fellow Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga.

On the prospect of teaching Saul some English, Alonso said: “I will do my best! If he learns from Kepa he is in a bad position!”

The 30-year-old added a belief that Saul will fit in well off the pitch as well as on it.

He continued: “Saul is good fun. I know he likes animals a lot, and he will be a good addition for the changing room.”

Saul future forecasted

Although Saul’s loan spell with Chelsea is only just beginning, the attention is starting to turn to what may happen at the end of it.

The player himself has admitted the terms of the transfer are a “gamble” on Atletico’s part. But even for himself, it is unclear what the future holds.

A recent report revealed one factor that may stop Chelsea from activating their option to buy…