Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez will probably go down as one of Chelsea’s worst ever signings.
Chelsea brought Saul Niguez in on loan from Atletico back in 2021, and the man largely responsible for his arrival could be about to land a very nice job at Newcastle United.
In total, Saul made just five starts in the Premier League. The 29-year-old made his debut in a 3-0 win against Aston Villa, a game where he really struggled and, quite simply, never recovered from.
“I had a feeling he struggled,” former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel told Sky Sports after the match. “He had some big mistakes.”
Since then, the Spaniard has returned to Atletico and remained part of Diego Simeone’s squad.
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Newcastle considering hiring former Chelsea scout
According to The Telegraph, it was Chelsea’s former head of international scouting Scott McLachlan who advocated for Saul to be signed after tracking him for a couple of years.
It is now being reported by TEAMtalk that Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Newcastle are thinking about bringing McLachlan in to replace Dan Ashworth, who could depart St James’ Park for Manchester United.
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The Blues’ recruitment structure looks a lot different these days following the club’s takeover.
While the likes of McLachlan and Petr Cech have all left Chelsea, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley have been brought in to lead the club in the transfer market.
Not everyone has been impressed with their work, with talkSPORT pundit Andy Jacobs criticising the pair earlier this season.
Who has been Chelsea’s best signing under Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley?
Chelsea have made some huge signings since Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali arrived at the club and brought in their own men to spearhead recruitment.
You think of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, for example. There have been cheaper buys as well, who have performed quite well, including Malo Gusto.
The right-back has done such a good job since coming into the team for the injured Reece James. In total, Gusto has made 29 appearances for Chelsea and provided eight assists — impressive for a full-back.
There is no doubt, however, that Cole Palmer has been the best addition in this new era at Chelsea. Since joining from Manchester City last summer, the England international has gone on to record 26 goal contributions in 34 outings.
It is the kind of number that some of Chelsea’s other attackers can only dream about. The Blues and Mauricio Pochettino need more signings like the 21-year-old and less Sauls.
