This weekends Premier League tie against Aston Villa could be Chelsea fan’s first chance to see their new loanee Saul Niquez in action
It will be interesting to see if the German tactician Thomas Tuchel gets the best out of Saul in his season-long loan stay in the blue side of London.
The Spanish midfielder was very highly acclaimed in his nine years with Athletico Madrid and his national team. Last season was his first proper lull in form as he scored two goals and got one assist in 33 league appearances.
Saul’s main problem was his immense versatility, being able to play in any position across the midfield. This led to him not locking down a position throughout the season, competing against Marcos Llorente and Koke.
After not being picked for Spain’s Euro 2020, the 26-year-old was in need of a change of scenery to rekindle his form.
Good morning, Blues! 👉🏽 🔵⚪️ @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/wJZpLcWrwr
— Saúl Ñiguez (@saulniguez) September 2, 2021
How will Saul Niguez fit in at Stamford Bridge?
Now at Chelsea, he will be competing with Ngolo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, and Jorginho for a spot in central midfield. This might be a hard task with two of those men on the shortlist for Ballon D’or.
So far, Tuchel’s preferred formation is 3-4-2-1 with wingbacks that are just as much attackers as they are defenders. Luckily for Saul, the German boss has told him that he intends to play him in his preferred midfield spot.
Each of the Blues’ central midfielders has different qualities but Saul seems to be all-rounded and could prove very useful in their setup.
Standing at six-foot-tall, he would also be the tallest of his midfield teammates. Throughout his career, he has shown to be physically strong as well as powerful in the air.
The Spaniard also grew a reputation of scoring important goals and has drawn comparisons to Chelsea legend Frank Lampard.
Throwback to when Saul Niguez scored one of the best Champions League goals ever against Bayern Munich 🤯
(via @ChampionsLeague)pic.twitter.com/3992GeJxwW
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 31, 2021
As a Deadline Day loan with an option to sign for €30 million next season, this could be some very astute business by Chelsea.
Now with injuries to Kante and Pulisic, there is a good chance that fans could see his debut against Aston Villa this weekend. The match will kick off at 17:30 on Saturday 11th September in Stamford Bridge.
