Saul on his failed move to Chelsea: "I was like De Gea"
The playmaker has acknowledged that he didn't actually think his intended move from Atletico Madrid to Stamford Bridge would be completed before the closing date.
After clinching a late loan deal to Chelsea on the cutoff day, Atletico Madrid player Saul Niguez alluded to
David de Gea
's notorious botched transfer to
Real Madrid
in 2015 involving a broken faxing machine.
Chelsea completed a deal for Saul two minutes before the summer transfer market closed on Tuesday night, with the 26-year-old signing a loan contract with the Blues until the end of the 2021-22 season.
Atletico Madrid filed the final documentation at the last moment, which recalled Saul of when Manchester United goalie David De Gea was rejected a transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu six years ago equipment breakdown.
"At 11:57 p.m., we finished reviewing the contract and they had to see it there ... I was like De Gea," the midfielder said on
Twitchafter signing for Chelsea.
"I thought: 'This is not going to come in and that's it.' It has been a long afternoon and night. My wife was very nervous, we have had some very complicated days, because this decision is not easy.
"Leaving my house on a new adventure is complicated."
Saul went on to say that Chelsea shot-stopper
Kepa
, with whom he also has international experience, was a significant factor in his choice to go from Wanda Metropolitano to Stamford Bridge.
"It is very important that he will be there," he said. "It is an important step. If he had not been there, it would have been different.
"Going on loan for a year and having a team-mate with whom I have spent many years in the younger categories of the national team is important."
Chelsea can also purchase Saul outright for £30 million ($41 million) next year, and the Atletico Madrid midfielder is open to staying in the
Premier Leagueif he has a good debut season.
"Now all I think about is going to England, getting in shape and being happy again," Saul added. "Who knows, maybe I will go there and it will be so great that I will not want to come back? I don't want to promise anything now. I want to focus on what awaits me.
"They are the champions of Europe. It's very positive for me. My parents can't believe it. They are Atletico fans! It's a great opportunity for me."
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