KEY POINTS

  • Chelsea has signed Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan deal
  • The deal took some time to complete as talks fizzled and reignited repeatedly between the two clubs
  • It will not be surprising to see Chelsea buy him outright next season

Highly sought-after midfielder Saul Niguez is officially making his way to the English Premier League with Chelsea.

Transfer wizard Fabrizio Romano confirms that the Spaniard will be joining Chelsea this season on a loan deal from Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea reportedly paid the Spanish club €5 million ($5.9 million) to secure his services.

His name has been a part of transfer talks throughout the summer, particularly with Manchester United.

The Red Devils were in search of an upgrade with their midfielder group and Niguez was expected to make his way to Old Trafford, but talks stalled and gradually fell off.

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand was among the voices who were pushing Manchester United to sign Niguez due to his ability to play as a central and defensive midfielder.

The transfer window was not a complete loss for Manchester United, however, as they were able to sign Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, and the biggest surprise of all--Cristiano Ronaldo--making them one of the favorites to win the league title.

But then again, Chelsea remains the No. 1 pick amongst fans and critics, thanks to their strong showing this summer.

They did not make any splashy moves during the transfer window, apart from signing Romelu Lukaku from Inter.

Lukaku has been a key piece to Chelsea’s early success this season.

Through their first three league games, Lukaku appeared in two of them and scored one goal – 15 minutes into their 2-0 victory over Arsenal.

Niguez was also linked to Chelsea throughout the window but talks fizzled and reignited many times.

With Niguez on board, the Stamford Bridge side now has N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic in the midfield.

In nine years with Atletico Madrid, Niguez appeared in 230 games and scored in 26 of them.

Chelsea will not rely on him to score as his prowess is more on the defensive side of the ball, something that the club needs to strengthen as Manchester United’s explosive attack will look to blitz through their defense.

Should his time with them prove to be fruitful, it is not hard to see that Chelsea will pick up their option to buy him outright next summer.

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