Chelsea midfielder Saul Niguez set to miss the clash against Middlesbrough after testing positive for Covid-19
According to Saul Niguez on Twitter (h/t Football London), Chelsea midfielder Saul Niguez has tested positive for Covid-19 and is set to miss the FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough. The Spanish international also missed the Blues’ win against LOSC Lille on Wednesday.
Once rated very highly at Wanda Metropolitano, the 27-year-old’s development has somewhat stalled in the past couple of seasons and he moved to London on loan hoping for a fresh start back in the summer. Things have not really gone according to plan though, with the Spaniard playing just eight Premier League games of which only four have come as a starter.
The versatile midfielder, who can also deputise at left-back, is on a season-long loan at Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid. After a tough start to life in England, Saul’s performances have started improving and he is slowly growing more comfortable in the team.
Saul could have been in contention to start against the Boros this weekend if not for this latest setback as Thomas Tuchel looks to give all his players a chance and rotate to keep everyone fit till the end of the season.
The Blues loanee tweeted regarding testing positive for Covid but confirmed that he was fine. Hopefully, he will return to action sooner rather than later.
What does the future hold for Saul?
Having spent his entire career in Spain, it was understandable that Saul struggled to adapt to the physicality and high tempo of the Premier League but has since then settled in quite well. The Blues have an option to buy the midfielder permanently in the summer but it looks unlikely that they will trigger that option.
Chelsea are going through a change in ownership and it’s still unclear what the future holds at Stamford Bridge. There is also no dearth of options at midfield with Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ngolo Kante and even Ruben Loftus-Cheek as options.
With Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger possibly on their way out this summer on free transfers, the Blues will have to focus on more than one enforcement in the centre-back position and signing Saul on a permanent deal might not be a priority.
The Blues could look to negotiate another loan deal with Atletico Madrid for Saul if Tuchel wants him but it seems unlikely that the Spanish Club would agree to such an arrangement and will be hoping to get him off their books.
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Saul’s future does not seem to be at Stamford Bridge or Wanda Metropolitano and it remains to be seen where the 27-year-old will ply his trade next season. For now, he will be hopeful of recovering from Covid-19 as quickly as possible and making a case for himself in the games to come.