Chelsea were the ones who eventually signed Saul Niguez on a season-long loan on deadline day.
According to reports, Atlético Madrid made overtures to Manchester City for Bernardo Silva for Saul Niguez.
It seems that Saul Niguez was surplus to requirement, and Atlético Madrid were in a hurry to offload the midfielder. The manner he left the Wanda Metropolitano points in thection of all not being well with him and ‘El Cholo’. Though any news of a rift between the pair never made it into the public domain. It was clear that his stay at Atlético was coming to an end.
The player was on a salary of £207,000 at Atlético Madrid, one of the highest earners at the club, but his wage is not one to be described as an albatross to Atlético Madrid.
Before he made his deadline day move to Chelsea, he was in the news as a wanted man. What many did not know was that the 26-year-old Spaniard had been shopped around by the club. The player was also wanted by Manchester United and Barcelona.
Saul offered to Manchester City
On deadline day, Saul secured a season-long loan move to Chelsea, with the club holding the option to sign the midfielder permanently at the end of the season.
Atlético Madrid were clear in what they wanted to achieve with the desire of Saul to leave the club. They wanted a player who would come in and boost their ranks. A swap deal ranked high on their agenda.
An initial swap deal involving Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann fell flat on its face, with Saul not enthusiastic about the move.
With Chelsea in the hunt for a midfielder, the Daily Star reported that Atlético marketed their man to Manchester City with a swap proposal involving Saul for Bernardo Silva. However, Pep Guardiola was not interested in losing Silva even though the player was unhappy at his limited game time.
Bernardo had also been mooted as a makeweight as City pursued Harry Kane.
Why Saul wanted to leave
Saul had spent his entire career at Atlético Madrid and was suddenly an unhappy man at the Spanish capital.
Diego Simeone earlier in the summer had given an insight into what was behind the Spaniard’s desire to quit the Wanda Metropolitano.
According to Diego Simeone, the player had spoken with the club concerning his role in the team. In the discussions, he desired a more permanent position on the pitch.
Saul is a player that can play almost anywhere on the pitch. He has played as a full-back, right-wing and midfielder and Simeone made him understand he was important to the team due to the numerous roles he could play, but Saul was adamant he wanted to be known for a position instead of as a jack of all trades.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
