Atletico Madrid Must Reject Transfer Bids for Saul and Build Team Around Him
Transfer rumours surrounding Atletico Madrid players are never far away, with the Spanish side showing that success can be attained without spending hundreds of millions in big-money deals under Diego Simeone over the last few years.
Second place in La Liga and into the last eight of the UEFA Champions League, Atletico have once again impressed in spells this season, with several new faces earning praise and platitudes after performing particularly well in 2015-16.
One of those is midfielder Saul Niguez, a versatile talent who seems to maintain a high level of performance no matter what his role in the team is from week to week. He's a player who has quickly become integral to the system, and Atleti have to ensure he remains at the club past this summer and begin to structure the team around him.
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Fending Off Interest
Interest in Saul has mainly come from the Premier League so far, with the latest reports from Spanish radio station Cadena Ser (h/t Mirror) suggesting Arsenal recently made a bid of around €30 million for the 21-year-old. Manchester United have also been linked.
Saul only signed a new deal with Los Colchoneros last year, agreeing to stay until 2020, per Sport, but there has been speculation since then that he will soon want an improved contract, upping his wages significantly.
Having established himself as a key starter, that's probably a reasonable request—only Jan Oblak, Diego Godin, Antoine Griezmann, Juanfran and Jose Gimenez have arguably been better than him for Atletico this season, all of whom have shown consistency along with their quality.
Big bids have always had a way of swaying a team that wants to keep hold of a star player, but Saul's father, Jose Antonio Niguez, told Deportes Cope (h/t beIN Sports) his release fee stands at €45 million, well above the value of the rumoured bids from the Premier League.
Best of all for Atletico, Saul has consistently said he has no desire to leave the Vicente Calderon, with AS (h/t Goal, via Yahoo) reporting the midfielder saying he'd sign a "lifetime contract" if one were offered.
Overtaking Koke
For several seasons, Atletico No. 6 Koke was the man who transformed the team from a good one into one capable of winning trophies.
The Spaniard has the complete mix of technicality and aggression that Simeone demands of his players, and the Atleti academy graduate has been seen as an extension of Cholo on the pitch.
It was expected Koke would eventually move into the centre of midfield to dictate play and showcase his creative talents to take the team on to another level—but it hasn't happened. Indeed, for the first half of the campaign, the 24-year-old struggled to hit top form.
Saul has instead become the player who is almost a go-to man to push the team forward at times. His physicality and skill on the ball make him a great option to surge forward from deep and join up with the attack, often pressing high as a second striker before reverting to a central-midfield role when Atleti are out of possession.
The No. 17 also has more goals (four in La Liga to Koke's three this season) and has played centrally, as a holder or as a more offensive option, far more than Koke despite also putting in some serious game time as one of the wider midfielders.
It's more than arguable that Saul has been Atletico's best midfielder this season despite not playing much from August to November. Doing it for a few months is one thing—now he has to improve further to prove he has surpassed his older team-mate.
Central to Challenging
Keep Saul, and Atletico have a huge piece of the puzzle in place.
As evidenced by their title challenge this season and their six-game unbeaten run in the league against Real Madrid, Atleti are not far off being a side that can win domestic silverware with increasing regularity, no small feat given the ability on show at Barcelona.
They need one or two additions, sure, particularly in attack, but rebuilding Atletico's starting XI has been an ongoing process for several years. Instead, they should be looking to make one or two small adjustments, not half the team.
Saul's ability to switch instantly from a defensive protector to an offensive threat makes him vital for this side—as does his surprising pace and aggression once he's inside the box.
Playing in the starting XI for an entire season, he's comfortably a player who could net a dozen goals from midfield—and that's certainly something Atleti have lacked of late.
He can always fill in for the wider roles when necessary, but more and more, Saul's importance in the centre is being seen.
Atletico cannot afford to sell him on; they need to persuade him once more that a move away is not in his interests and that he can achieve everything he wants with the club—and then reward him with a big contract that is more than warranted.
If they keep Saul and build a team in which he can thrive, further silverware will follow for Los Rojiblancos.
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