Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel reportedly made a key vow to Saul Niguez as his club won the race for his signature this summer.
Saul ended up joining Chelsea on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid in what looks like a fine move for the Blues to give them more options in midfield.
According to Goal, Chelsea’s rivals Manchester United were also keen on the Spain international, but it seems Tuchel played a big part in talking the player round to moving to Stamford Bridge.
The German tactician supposedly assured Saul that he’d be playing regularly in midfield if he joined the west London giants, rather than swapping roles a lot as he had been doing under Diego Simeone in Madrid.
Man Utd are also named by Goal as being one of the clubs in the strongest position to sign Saul, but perhaps Ole Gunnar Solskjaer couldn’t make quite the same promise to the player.
The 26-year-old could surely have been an upgrade on the likes of Nemanja Matic and Fred, however, so this could be a move that United live to regret.
One imagines Tuchel and Solskjaer will be among the main managers battling it out for the Premier League title this season, but Saul could give CFC a slight edge if he performs at his best.