Chelsea’s new loan Saul Niguez: Who the hell are you? (Vol. 20)

A bit out of nowhere, Chelsea has opted to bring in Saul Niguez on loan with an option to buy. The Atletico Madrid midfielder has come off the boil the last few seasons and has been looking for a change of scenery. He joins Chelsea to fill a fourth centermid shaped hole while the club avoids having to fully commit to him before seeing him. It’s a near win-win for everyone, but who is he?

1. History

There aren’t many one club men left in the world and Saul Niguez is one of them, depending on how one counts loans into that equation. He’s played his entire career for Atletico Madrid (again, minus loans), being given his debut at 17 by Diego Simeone back in 2012. Since then, he’s been ever present for the club, amassing nearly 450 appearances. Since his breakthrough season, he’s only failed to make 30 appearances on one occasion.

Niguez is fully bathed in Simeone’s hardworking tactics in nearly every aspect. Like the team at large, he works incredibly hard on and off the ball to maximize the team. He’s also been a bit of a Swiss army knife for Simeone, playing mainly at centermid but also as a wide player and even a defender if needed.

So, why is Atletico Madrid letting him go if he’s been so vital and is so versatile? Well the main reason is that he’s fallen off at least the last two seasons performance wise. Furthermore, Atletico has already made several signings to replace him. That being said, he has been crucial for the club for nearly a decade now. The loan works for Chelsea in the sense that it offers flexibility for the future. It works for Niguez too because he can choose his fate next year. And it works for Atletico because they either get Niguez back as he was or they get a solid transfer fee with his replacements already sorted.