Atletico midfielder left on loan for Chelsea literally on the last hour of the deadline day. The Spain international has joined the Premier League outfit with an obligation to buy next summer.
The Blues were looking for more depth in midfield, and they probably got the best player present in the market for their exact role. Thomas Tuchel has a big pool of midfielders with different skillsets.
The German tactician can pick and choose the best player for the exact situation and opponent to bring out the best results for the West London outfit.
The 26-year-old midfielder, who spent 15 years in Madrid, has always had a dream of playing in the Premier League, and he hopes to pick up the language soon to settle down. After being a starter at Atletico Madrid for the last few years, Saul fell out of favour last season.
Then with Rodrigo De Paul’s arrival from Udinese, Saul’s chances of regaining a starting spot looked very bleak. Hence he could not resist an opportunity to make a switch to the Premier League.
The last day of the transfer window was crazy but in the end I could come here, as we all were hoping, so I have to seize this chance.
Since I was a child, I always had two goals – to make history at Atletico Madrid and to play in the Premier League, not only because of the league itself but also for its culture and the language.”
he told the club’s website.
Saul expresses that learning the language is the most important part of settling down in the country. The 26-year-old midfielder reveals that having Spanish players like Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso, and especially Kepa Arrizabalaga at the Stamford Bridge has helped him immensely in settling down in a new environment.
“The language is a big challenge for me and I want to learn it as soon as possible in order to be able to communicate with my team-mates simply and comfortably.
At Atletico, I used to speak with [Kieran] Trippier but my English isn’t good enough. I don’t even dare to do interviews in English!
the Atleti midfielder added.
His main aim now will be to fight for a starting spot at Stamford Bridge as competition in midfield at the club is fierce. However, Saul has been assigned the no. 17 shirt number at Chelsea, which is very familiar to the Spaniard as it was the first number he was assigned at Atletico. He later shifted to the number 8 jersey which highlighted his role as a midfielder.
The loan move to Chelsea will also be a shot at redemption for Saulold who made 230 appearances for Los Rojiblancos since making his senior team debut back in 2012. The player won the La Liga with Atleti last season while also bagging the Spanish Cup in the 2012-13 season. He also played a pivotal role in Atleti’s Europa League triumph twice and have also won a Spanish Super Cup back in the 2014-15 season.
