It will be interesting to see if the German tactician Thomas Tuchel gets the best out of Saul in his season-long loan stay in the blue side of London.

The Spanish midfielder was very highly acclaimed in his nine years with Athletico Madrid and his national team. Last season was his first proper lull in form as he scored two goals and got one assist in 33 league appearances.

Saul’s main problem was his immense versatility, being able to play in any position across the midfield. This led to him not locking down a position throughout the season, competing against Marcos Llorente and Koke.

After not being picked for Spain’s Euro 2020, the 26-year-old was in need of a change of scenery to rekindle his form.

Good morning, Blues! @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/wJZpLcWrwr

— Saúl Ñiguez (@saulniguez) September 2, 2021

How will Saul Niguez fit in at Stamford Bridge?

Now at Chelsea, he will be competing with Ngolo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, and Jorginho for a spot in central midfield. This might be a hard task with two of those men on the shortlist for Ballon D’or.

So far, Tuchel’s preferred formation is 3-4-2-1 with wingbacks that are just as much attackers as they are defenders. Luckily for Saul, the German boss has told him that he intends to play him in his preferred midfield spot.

Each of the Blues’ central midfielders has different qualities but Saul seems to be all-rounded and could prove very useful in their setup.

Standing at six-foot-tall, he would also be the tallest of his midfield teammates. Throughout his career, he has shown to be physically strong as well as powerful in the air.

The Spaniard also grew a reputation of scoring important goals and has drawn comparisons to Chelsea legend Frank Lampard.

Throwback to when Saul Niguez scored one of the best Champions League goals ever against Bayern Munich

(via @ChampionsLeague)pic.twitter.com/3992GeJxwW

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 31, 2021

As a Deadline Day loan with an option to sign for €30 million next season, this could be some very astute business by Chelsea.

Now with injuries to Kante and Pulisic, there is a good chance that fans could see his debut against Aston Villa this weekend. The match will kick off at 17:30 on Saturday 11th September in Stamford Bridge.

The post How can Saul change Chelsea? appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The 36-year-old has been with Juve for the past three years after joining the club in the summer of 2018.

The Portuguese forward has scored 101 goals in 134 games for the Old Lady and has won two Scudettos, two Italian Super Cups and one Coppa Italia in his time there.

Ronaldo’s contract at the club expires next year and a move away may suit both parties as the Italian giants could get cashback for the former Real Madrid star.

He has been linked with a move to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks and has even publicly addressed the speculation surrounding him.

The all-time Portuguese national team top scorer did not start Juventus’ opening day draw with Udinese, playing 30 minutes from the bench.

The club’s Vice President Pavel Nedved spoke on the topic and is quoted by GFFN: “We are not going to try to create sensationalist stories when there are none. It was a decision we shared with the player. At the beginning of the season, he is naturally not at top form.”

Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes is looking to get a part-swap deal that includes the striker’s countryman Bernardo Silva, who wants to leave the English champions.

Aymeric Laporte is another name mentioned that could be part of a deal but City boss Pep Guardiola has been impressed with him recently.

The Portuguese captain could be seen as an alternative to Harry Kane.

Mendes is confident that a deal can be done and that his star client can get his move.

It remains to be seen whether Ronaldo will add to the exciting 2021 summer transfer window or if this saga will fail to come to fruition.

The post Manchester City The Desired Destination For Ronaldo appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

‘Les Gones’ are offering €6 million plus add-ons for the bit-part player on Merseyside but Liverpool are holding out for €8 million.

They signed Shaqiri from Stoke in the summer of 2018 for a price of £13 million (€15 million).

The 29-year-old has won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and the Premier League with Liverpool.

There is no agreement between the clubs yet but talks are ongoing, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Shaqiri’s potential new contract is ready until June 2024 and the two-time Champions League-winning player is now pushing for the move away.

The Swiss talisman has made 63 appearances for the Reds and has racked up 17 goal involvements in that time.

The winger, who can also play in an advanced midfield role, only managed to earn 819 minutes of football last season in 22 games across all competitions for his club.

He was out of action due to a muscle injury from the end of November through to December but could not break into the side when fit.

Shaqiri was an unused substitute for the side 15 times throughout the season – the Premier League tally (13) is close to the number of appearances he had in the competition (14) in 2020/21.

The former Stoke star impressed fans on occasion but never got a consistent run in the side and fell further down the pecking order the longer he stayed at the club.

Lyon have been searching for a replacement for Memphis Depay, who ran down his contract and moved to Barcelona earlier this summer.

Shaqiri, a player who can play in the role that Depay did at the club, would be useful for head coach Peter Bosz, who thrives on attacking football.

The 29-year-old will want to make the most of his prime years in football and a starring role for Lyon would be the perfect opportunity to do so.

The post Liverpool Winger Shaqiri Agrees Terms With Lyon appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

James Maddison has been linked with the side recently and his club has put a £70 million price tag on him.

Maddison is currently under contract with the FA Cup and FA Community Shield champions until 2024.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder has scored 27 times for the Foxes and made 20 assists in 119 appearances in his time with the club.

Leicester’s ideal outcome of the situation would see them keep hold of their attacking midfielder for the upcoming season.

Former Hull City forward Dean Windass believes that the size of Arsenal compared to Leicester will have Maddison’s head turned.

Windass spoke to Transfer Tavern about the potential move and does not understand why Maddison would stay where he is.

Although Windass acknowledged that Leicester have been the better side in recent times, he argued that Arsenal’s position in world football is greater.

“Why wouldn’t you want to go to Arsenal?” the ex-Hull City striker said. “Listen, we talk about footballers now where it’s not about money anymore, it’s about winning trophies. Are Arsenal going to be in the top four next year? No. Are Leicester with Jamie Vardy? Yes.

“But a big club like Arsenal calling and he’s obviously open to it, reports saying he’d welcome the move.”

Leicester has finished above Arsenal in the Premier League in the last two seasons.

However, the two sides have won as much silverware as each other in that time and Arsenal have enjoyed much more success a the top level of English football than Leicester.

Windass sees that as an important trait for a club to have but it remains to be seen whether Maddison will be tempted over to North London.

The post Leicester Star James Maddison ‘Obviously Open’ To Arsenal Move appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has said that Ghezzal will make the journey to Istanbul on Tuesday to complete the move away from England.

Leicester and Besiktas are said to have “total agreement” on the terms with the confirmation expected to be a formality.

The fee is rumoured to be in the seven-figure r for the Algerian, who spent last season on loan at the Turkish outfit.

Ghezzal made 23 appearances for Leicester, all in his first season under contract with the club, and scored three goals and assisted three.

The Algerian fell out of favour when current manager Brendan Rodgers was brought in to replace Claude Puel.

Ghezzal has since spent time on loan in Italy at Fiorentina and with Besiktas and has not appeared for his parent club since a minute-long cameo against Bournemouth on March 30th, 2019.

The winger failed to make an impact in Italy, scoring just once in 21 appearances and assisting once in the same amount of time for La Viola but impressed in his time on loan at Besiktas.

The on-loan winger racked up 26 goal involvements in 35 appearances across all competitions for the Turkish Champions.

His attacking ability was an important cog in the machine for Sergen Yalcin’s side as they won the title on goal difference by one.

His run of five goals in the last six games in the league helped the club over the line, with Ghezzal grabbing the all-important winner against Goztepe on the final day of the season.

He also had a strong performance in the Turkish Cup final, creating one of the two goals for his side on the day as they clinched the first half of an impressive double.

Galatasary, Besiktas’ rivals who finished second in the league by just one goal, were also reportedly interested in Ghezzal but it looks like Besiktas have now got their man.

The post Leicester Winger Rachid Ghezzal Set For Besiktas Move appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.