This time Chelsea’s transfer deadline was very different. No hurry. No panic. With just seconds to go in the Premier League, there’s no need to frantically send out the deal sheet.
Chelsea executives can, for the most part, sit back and relax. His mission did not end or begin because the Blues did not make a real effort to sign for Thomas Toussaint’s team.
The situation at the end of the summer transfer window is very different. In the closing hours of August 31, Chelsea were embroiled in a three-way transfer deal and his future addition was the first domino to fall.
That is, of course, Saul Niguez. The Spanish player was set to leave Atletico Madrid for the Premier League after 13 years with the Spanish club and the Blues had signed a loan deal. Saul’s departure will help LaLiga re-sign Antoine Griezmann from Barcelona, who will sign Luke de Jong from Sevilla.
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Saul’s transition to Stamford Bridge was on, then off, but eventually re-enabled. Chelsea submitted their contract to the Premier League three minutes later and the move was announced an hour after the window closed.
The Blues paid Saúl around €44m in initial installments and agreed a permanent €30m contract with Spain International at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
“I am very excited to start this new challenge with Chelsea,” said the midfielder after his contract was confirmed. “Blues fans, I’m one of you now, I can’t wait to see you all wear the jersey and start training.”
Saúl’s arrival was not a deadline for Chelsea. Of course, the Blues were keen to bring in a midfielder, and the 27-year-old was on the radar as leading international scout Scott McClaun, but Saúl got permission only after Atleti thought he could bring Griezmann back. . Get out.
“On August 30, Atlético told me that I couldn’t leave. On August 31 they told me that I could,” Saúl admitted in an interview with Fabricio Romano. sweets.
The signing of Saul – Toussaint’s endorsement – is one of Chelsea’s possibilities. And while this often seemed risk-free, the call option was more of an option than an obligation.
However, Saul’s first four months with the Blues were incredibly difficult. The midfielder was sent off at half-time as a result of his first two Premier League starts; The speed of the aircraft was higher than that of the midfielder.
It was only in late December that he began to feel more comfortable in Chelsea’s starting eleven. He has only appeared three times against Saul in 2022 in the midfield pecking order with Jorgenho, N’Colo Conte and Madio Kovacic.
“He is more confident and in better shape. A big step forward against Tottenham in the Carabo Cup,” Duchess said earlier this month. “The adaptation went further and you can see that it is more open, more understanding and more impactful than at the beginning of the season.”
An important lesson is that it took Saul nearly half a season to adjust to life at Chelsea. This is something the Blues have learned by presenting their business this month.
Aside from the motivation of bringing back Emerson Palmeri, a player Duchess has already worked for, from his spelling credit at Lyon, the new blues signature in this window hasn’t started a big play.
Adama is not Troy. Sergino is not a test. And especially in the final stretch of the window, not Ousmane Dembele.
The Barcelona winger hasn’t been signed since the summer and the La Liga legend has wanted to remove him from the club this month on loan or permanently.
Chelsea are understood to have an interest in Tempel, and Touchel is the most admired player he has worked with for the French at Borussia Dortmund. However, the Blues have not made a serious effort to bring him to Stamford Bridge this month.
Toussaint already has seven attackers – Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Coy Howards, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Otoi, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Jiech – on his roster, which is hardly surprising. It is also true that Blues is not willing to pay fees and pay for a player who has the opportunity to sign for free within six months.
It was time for Chelsea to make their move on the Frenchman. Not a few minutes after the transfer window died. Blues learned why the hard way.
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