Saul Niguez

[bigbluewillie 1,859]

Welcome Saul

You're gonna love it here, and we're gonna love you👍

[Superblue 6,370]

Some of the quotes coming out from an interview he did last night are very promising.

He acknowledged his form in the last couple of seasons hasn't been the standard he expects it to be and he sounds incredibly motivated that this move will re-boot his career. 

If he can get anywhere back to his best then the deal we've negotiated with an option to buy for what seems an incredibly fair price could end up being a masterstroke.

I'm excited to see what he can bring, and hope it works well for him.

[Jype 6,398]

42 minutes ago, Superblue_1986 said:

Some of the quotes coming out from an interview he did last night are very promising.

He acknowledged his form in the last couple of seasons hasn't been the standard he expects it to be and he sounds incredibly motivated that this move will re-boot his career. 

Yep, he comes across really well. Says he felt he needed a change of scenery to get out of his comfort zone to really challenge himself at a new club, and that he wants to show people that the Saul of +2 years ago is still there just waiting to be unleashed again. That's pretty much word for word what I said last week when it first came out the club had made an offer to sign him. 

Saul also said Chelsea have promised him he'll be training and playing in his preferred midfield position, and not bounced around all over the pitch like Simeone did in the last couple years. Playing just one position will surely help him rediscovering his best form, and in a way his versatility ended up being one of the main reasons for his downfall at Atletico because Simeone knew he could trust Saul to do a job in pretty much any position, which might have benefited the team but not so much Saul himself.

Really excited to see him play for us. He could be in line to make his full debut in the UCL home game against Zenit if Jorginho-Kante are being kept fresh for the Spurs league match that weekend. Then there's also the League Cup game against Villa after Spurs, so I would guess we'll be seeing him start at least two games in September already. In October (after Man City game) the league schedule becomes a bit easier too so should be plenty of opportunities to integrate Saul in the squad.

Edited September 1, 2021 by Jype

[Azul 1,615]

9 hours ago, Stats said:

You are mad if you think that Kante is more important for the system than Jorginho, I can argue. You are mentioning the gegenpressing is made for Kante, without mentioning that we look to dominate the ball in most games anyway, which is when Jorginho is more crucial. Our domination of possession is paramount to having Jorginho in that team.

I've heard it all now, wow. Jorginho winning the UEFA Player of the Year got fans gassed to the point where they forgot Kante's 4 MOTM performances in a row, in the UCL. 

I never thought I'd talk to a Chelsea fan about why Kante is more important than Jorginho for our team, I'm a bit shocked to be honest.

[YorkshireBlue 3,122]

46 minutes ago, Azul said:

I've heard it all now, wow. Jorginho winning the UEFA Player of the Year got fans gassed to the point where they forgot Kante's 4 MOTM performances in a row, in the UCL. 

I never thought I'd talk to a Chelsea fan about why Kante is more important than Jorginho for our team, I'm a bit shocked to be honest.

Am with you tbh. I think we would struggle so much more with loss of kante than jorgi, but on the other hand kante is the reason jorgi does what he does in this team, every player seems to compliment another.

[guddy69 174]

 

[Stats 7,054]

8 hours ago, Azul said:

I've heard it all now, wow. Jorginho winning the UEFA Player of the Year got fans gassed to the point where they forgot Kante's 4 MOTM performances in a row, in the UCL. 

I never thought I'd talk to a Chelsea fan about why Kante is more important than Jorginho for our team, I'm a bit shocked to be honest.

Lol. I am a bit shocked to how blinkered you are. I have been saying that Jorginho and Kovacic are a better partnership for most games, well before Jorginho won his award so you can put that talk to bed. Jorginho's performances go unnoticed to Kante. Kante gets rave reviews because of his excellent work rate, however Jorginho's dictating of the game gets less plaudits and is underestimated. If you are shocked about a Chelsea fan thinking Jorginho is more important to the team then Kante, then I don't think you watch enough games for us. I watch every Chelsea game and as good as Kante has been, we have proven we can win games without him and with ease too.

[OneMoSalah 8,777]

Only taken a day for the Saul thread to turn into the Jorginho thread. Excellent.

[milka 3,346]

 

[Pizy 18,368]

He seems genuinely happy to be here with a fresh start. Hopefully it doesn’t take long for us to see him on the pitch.

[DDA 9,690]

Something about him that installs alot of confidence that he is going to shine here. We all know this was a fantastic addition to our squad. 

His versatility could really come in handy.

[Superblue 6,370]

Interview on the Chelsea website and 5th Stand app.

He talks very well. Really impressed that he mentioned he wants Kepa and the Spanish boys to talk to him in English as much as possible so he can learn the language quicker and communicate with the rest of the squad. It would be easy to not worry about things like that when there's a real possibility he's back at Atletico in 9 months time.

But it sounds like he really wants to embrace the opportunity he has and does seem like he's planning on trying to make this a permanent move. Good luck to him, he definitely has the potential to do just that.

[Superblue 6,370]

28 minutes ago, Tomislava10Barisic said:

Big problem now for Mateo Kovacic already problems to start in 1st 11 
cause Kante and Jorginho now Saul Niguez.... I don´t know why Chelsea do this problem to Mateo Kovacic?
Better for Mateo Kovacic to leave FC Chelsea London to an Club where he have the 1st Team place!!

He's got 140 appearances in his first 3 seasons at Chelsea, he'll play plenty.

We need the fourth midfielder because there's no way Kante will stay fit and play 2 or 3 times a week all season.

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

Getting tired of these fans that support the player of their nationality over the club. 

 

[DDA 9,690]

26 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

Getting tired of these fans that support the player of their nationality over the club. 

 

Yea it's a little cringey but in reality... when it comes down to their importance, players are what draw in the fans Worldwide and ultimately make Chelsea the global brand it is.

Edited September 2, 2021 by DDA

[milka 3,346]

 

 

[robsblubot 3,504]

On 01/09/2021 at 13:12, Stats said:

Lol. I am a bit shocked to how blinkered you are. I have been saying that Jorginho and Kovacic are a better partnership for most games, well before Jorginho won his award so you can put that talk to bed. Jorginho's performances go unnoticed to Kante. Kante gets rave reviews because of his excellent work rate, however Jorginho's dictating of the game gets less plaudits and is underestimated. If you are shocked about a Chelsea fan thinking Jorginho is more important to the team then Kante, then I don't think you watch enough games for us. I watch every Chelsea game and as good as Kante has been, we have proven we can win games without him and with ease too.

You guys are trying really hard to disagree on something... 😁

I tend to agree that Jorgi is more of the foundations guy, so perhaps we depend more on him being there, while Kante is the icing on the cake, the one thing a lot of top clubs lack... the hard worker with quality. I think Mount is falling into the same category (albeit different role) as he progresses. However, Kova replaces Jorgi better than he replaces Kante.
Kante is rarer and it's going to be extremely difficult to replace him. Look at Fred at united... that's what's out there. 😅

Jogi and Kante are both awesome! Kova not that much behind, just a bit inconsistent. Hopefully Saul is in the same ballpark.

[Stats 7,054]

13 hours ago, robsblubot said:

You guys are trying really hard to disagree on something... 😁

I tend to agree that Jorgi is more of the foundations guy, so perhaps we depend more on him being there, while Kante is the icing on the cake, the one thing a lot of top clubs lack... the hard worker with quality. I think Mount is falling into the same category (albeit different role) as he progresses. However, Kova replaces Jorgi better than he replaces Kante.
Kante is rarer and it's going to be extremely difficult to replace him. Look at Fred at united... that's what's out there. 😅

Jogi and Kante are both awesome! Kova not that much behind, just a bit inconsistent. Hopefully Saul is in the same ballpark.

I am a huge fan of Kovacic. One of the most underrated players in the team for me.

But generally agree with you. But that is my point with Kante. Quality player who is very important for the big games but against 3/4 of teams we play we can play them off the field with our domination of play. Against the likes of Palace, Southampton, etc we are fine with Kovacic and Jorginho. Arsenal in recent seasons have been a bit of a  bogey team and we looked more than assured with a Kovacic and Jorginho midfield in the game this season.