Why Atletico Madrid Must Pull out All the Stops to Keep Hold of Saul Niguez

Seasons change and results change, but all know that the accepted hierarchy of football remains.

That’s what makes it so exciting when that supremacy is challenged and eventually toppled. It’s basically been the story of the Premier League this season, and in Europe, Atletico Madrid have been doing something similar in the UEFA Champions League.

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They aren’t quite the plucky, written-off underdogs like Leicester City, of course, but manager Diego Simeone has been able to embrace the fact they aren’t a member of the established elite en route to the final in Milan. If anything, he has been positively encouraging that status.

But there is nothing the Argentinian manager can do about the big dogs sniffing around his players, with Saul Niguez—one of his best—the latest to be linked with a move away.

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, reported both Barcelona and Manchester United are targeting Saul, telling Sky Sports (h/t Metro's Jon Harvey):

"

Saul has a buyout clause of 45m euros. There is a clause since the David Villa transfer to Barcelona, a clause that says Barcelona can equal any offer and can take him.

Barcelona are interested, and so are Manchester United. He belongs 40 per cent to Jorge Mendes, and we’ll have to see.

The last renewal offer from the club has been rejected by Saul, but the club will continue to negotiate.

"

Millions of euros, buyout clauses and Jorge Mendes. So far, so very familiar, but the key thing for Atletico supporters to take from those words is the club is willing to negotiate a deal to keep the supremely talented 21-year-old midfielder at the Vicente Calderon.

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Los Rojiblancos have had their fingers burned with players leaving for pastures new far too many times before, so now they find themselves in a second Champions League final in three seasons, they have to be seen to be drawing a line in the sand.

Neither Barcelona nor Manchester United boast a similarly impressive European record over the past three campaigns. So why should Atletico submit and let one of them spirit away one of their best players?

Indeed, spirit is the key word when it comes to Saul.

Having started the season unsure of his place in Simeone’s plans, he is ending it as one of the first names on the manager’s teamsheet and one of the inspirations behind the run to the Champions League final.

Take his role in Antoine Griezmann’s opening goal in the second leg of the quarter-final victory over Barcelona, when his stunning, almost effortless cross with the outside of his left foot was angled perfectly onto the head of the France international, who directed his effort beyond the reach of Marc-Andre ter Stegen and into the net to spark wild celebrations.

If memories of that didn’t come immediately to mind, then how about what he did in the semi-final?

At that same end of the Calderon, off he went just 11 minutes into the first leg against Bayern Munich, skipping away from Thiago Alcantara, slaloming past Juan Bernat and Xabi Alonso—unlike Saul, all Spain internationals—before planting a firm shot into the net off Manuel Neuer’s right-hand post.

It was a quite fantastic goal, and it proved to be vital, as Atletico survived a Bayern onslaught in the second leg to make it to Milan.

So why on earth would Atletico want to sell the man who drove them to the Champions League final? Real Madrid wouldn’t do the same with Cristiano Ronaldo. Nor would Barcelona with one of their magical front three—Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar—who took them to the Berlin final last season.

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But we all know football isn’t that simple. Those clubs have the means and wealth to hold onto their star men, something Atletico Madrid often have not.

But it is time for that to change—and for Saul to be the catalyst.

Atletico are beating the accepted hierarchy on the pitch. Now it is time to do the same off it.

Just give him what he wants, convince him to stay and build the team around him.