New acquisition Saul Niguez has been given the number 17 at Chelsea. The midfielder arrives at Stamford Bridge on a season-long from Atletico Madrid.
The Spaniard has been given his training gear and has gone through the customary photographs and interviews. Now, finally he receives his new shirt number. The 26-year-old has donned the number 8 for Diego Simeone’s side for years.
Saul Niguez joined Chelsea on deadline day. He is Thomas Tuchel’s third signing of the window, after Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Bettinelli.
Saul Niguez – New no. 17 at Chelsea
Previous players to wear the 17 shirt for the Blues include Mateo Kovacic, who recently switched to the number 8. Pedro Rodriguez found success wearing the number before switching to his preferred 11 jersey.
Chelsea legend Eden Hazard wore the iconic 17 when he joined the club from Lille. However, he later switched to number 10 in his Chelsea stint.
Saul stated : “It’s a number I had at Atletico Madrid, it’s a number I like. I had it at Atletico. I had it in my early days“. He previously wore the number when he broke into the Atletico Madrid first team at age 20. He sported the 17 for two seasons before switching to become Atletico Madrid’s 8.
Chelsea have paid the La Liga champions a loan fee worth around £4,300,000. The deal provides an option to sign the 26-year-old permanently next summer for around £34,300,000.
Saul will be competing with the likes of Matteo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount for a place in the starting XI.
There is a chance that the Spaniard could make his Chelsea debut after the international break when the Blues are set to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on September 11.
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