Saul Niguez reflects on difficult Chelsea loan and explains what got him through early struggles

Saul Niguez will be forever grateful to Chelsea supporters for the backing he received during his season-long loan from Atletico Madrid, but the Spaniard says it was his teammates there were fundamental in ensuring he "wouldn't fall apart" during his difficult early months at Stamford Bridge.

It was in the final minutes of last summer's transfer window that Saul completed a loan move to the Blues, who had a £30million option to make the switch permanent. It was a transfer celebrated by supporters and championed by the club. "He completes our squad as we compete for honours in five different competitions this season," said club direction Marina Granovskaia.

However, Saul's debut for Chelsea against Aston Villa lasted just 45 minutes. The Spanish international struggled with the intensity and pace of the Premier League and was brought off at half time by Thomas Tuchel. "He was struggling, and I take responsibility for that," said the Chelsea head coach.

It wasn't until late December that Saul began to find his feet at Chelsea. There was an impressive cameo away at Wolverhampton Wanderers and a strong performance in the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg victory over Tottenham Hotspur, after which Tuchel spoke positively about the 27-year-old's progression.

"It is an important moment for him, and I have the feeling he digested the experiences at the beginning when maybe he didn't expect it like this," the Chelsea head coach explained.

"He is not the first player to struggle from the switch. What he does is good because he is open and fully focused, totally committed to the team. So I am very happy with his performance. Today was a huge step for him."

But strangely – and despite N'Golo Kante and Jorginho struggling for form