Five years after Marcos Alonso joined Chelsea on transfer deadline day, Saul Niguez did likewise, becoming the latest Spaniard to represent the Blues. To find out more about our new signing, we caught up with Alonso.
Our left wing-back has already lined up alongside Saul in the Spanish national team, including in a game at Wembley in which our new no.17 netted.
However, as Alonso tells us, their common ground goes back much longer than that.
‘I know Saul from the national team, and also we shared a manager from when we were in the Real Madrid academy,’ he reveals.
‘He’s a great player. His conditions are going to be good for the Premier League. He is strong physically, he is very good in the air, and those are things you need when you move to this league.
‘He is ready to kick off and hopefully we can take advantage of his qualities and he will be of great help to the team, because it’s going to be a long year, with a lot of competitions.’
Away from the pitch, Alonso expects Saul to settle in quickly, and he is prepared to help with that process by teaching him English.
‘I will do my best! If he learns from Kepa he is in a bad position!
‘Saul is good fun. I know he likes animals a lot, and he will be a good addition for the changing room.’