Saul Niguez 'frustrated & surprised at his lack of Chelsea game-time'
Saul Niguez ‘frustrated and surprised at his lack of Chelsea game-time’, with on-loan midfielder ‘concerned as his Spain exile continues after being left out of Luis Enrique’s latest squad’
- Saul Niguez joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid on loan during the summer
- However, the 26-year-old has featured just five times in all competitions so far
- Saul hoped the move to Chelsea would help ambitions for a Spain recall too
Saul Niguez’s move to Chelsea has failed to live up to expectations so far with the on-loan midfielder increasingly fed-up at being marginalised, according to reports.
Saul joined the Champions League winners during the summer transfer window from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, hoping the switch will help his international ambitions – having not represented Spain since November 2019.
However, the Spaniard has spent the majority of his time in west London as a spectator by watching the action on the sidelines as an unused substitute.
On loan Chelsea midfielder Saul Niguez is reportedly frustrated at his lack of playing time
Sual has been largely a spectator since joining this summer – often just an unused substitute
Things have not got gone to plan for the Spaniard under Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel so far
And the Sun claims that the 26-year-old is ‘surprised’ by his lack of playing time – especially with his current situation having seen him overlooked for Spain’s latest squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers this month – prolonging his exile from Luis Enrique’s setup.
A Spanish source told the publication: ‘This is not quite what Saul was expecting. He is not stupid and doesn’t think he should play in every game, he knows it might take time to get used to English football.
‘But when he hardly plays in the Premier League, how can he adapt? He has come from a big club and has played in big games before. He wants to show he can handle it.
‘He is not angry, he is happy in London, as is his girlfriend. They are determined to see out the move.
‘But he would like the chance to play a bit more. Being on the bench so much has come as quite a surprise.
‘Saul is also understandably thinking about his place in the Spain squad. These things are important.’
The 26-year-old’s last international appearance for Spain came in November 2019
Saul has featured five for Thomas Tuchel’s side in total since making his debut against Aston Villa on September 11.
He was hooked at half-time during that encounter and didn’t feature in their next five Premier League outings before making a short cameo in a 3-0 win at Newcastle on October 30.
However, he was an unused substitute during Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with Burnley. Perhaps alarmingly to the Spaniard, was the fact that Ross Barkley – who wasn’t initially given a squad number by Tuchel this season – was given the chance to start that clash ahead of him.
Ross Barkley (centre) was chosen to start in midfield against Burnley ahead of Saul on Saturday
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