Chelsea have reportedly decided against signing Saul Niguez on a permanent basis from Atletico Madrid.
Saul signed for Chelsea late on Deadline Day in the summer. The Blues bagged themselves a midfielder with real pedigree in a low-risk, potentially high-reward deal.
Though it is very early days in Saul’s Chelsea career, it has fast become clear that Thomas Tuchel never actually needed him, even as a fourth option in midfield.
Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic are all in contention to start, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley moving ahead of him in the pecking order in recent weeks.
It looks as though it’s going to be another difficult season for the Spaniard, who looks unlikely to earn himself a permanent transfer to Stamford Bridge.
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According to Todo Fichajes, the decision has already been made at Chelsea to send Saul back to Los Rojiblancos when his loan expires next summer.
You would expect Chelsea to be keeping an open mind as the season progresses, but the report claims that a definitive decision has already been made.
We would take that with a pinch of salt. Even if Chelsea do not believe the Saul deal will work out for them, there are still many months left to go in the season.
That’s plenty of time for Saul to adapt to life in England, rediscover his form and prove his worth to Tuchel. We wouldn’t consider the case closed just yet.