Transfer window: Chelsea secure loan deal for Atletico's Saul

Midfielder has been allowed to leave for London on a season-long loan deal to free up space for Griezmann's wage bill

LONDON:

Chelsea secured the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez on a season-long loan deal on Tuesday to further strengthen Thomas Tuchel's wealth of options.

The Spanish international has been a key player of Diego Simeone's reign at Atletico, but fell down the pecking order last season as Los Rojiblancos won La Liga.

"We have completed the signing of Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan deal with an option for a permanent transfer at the end of the season," Chelsea said in a statement.

The 26-year-old had been linked with a move to Barcelona earlier in the window as a makeweight in a deal to bring Antoine Griezmann back to Atletico.

But with Griezmann reportedly heading to the Wanda Metropolitano on loan, Saul has been allowed to leave for London to free up space on Atletico's wage bill.

"I am very excited to start this new challenge with Chelsea," said Saul. "Blues fans, I am one of you now and I can't wait to wear the shirt, start training and see all of you."

Saul has scored 43 goals in 340 Atletico appearances, including the one that beat Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals in 2016 as Simeone's men reached the final for a second time in two years.

His goalscoring prowess adds an extra dimension to Chelsea's midfield with goals from open play few and far between from the establised trio of Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante.

"We welcome Saul to the Club and believe he completes our squad as we compete for honours in five different competitions this season," said Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia.

"He is a proven winner, a player with huge experience and we know he will be very well-suited to the challenges that face us on all fronts in the coming year."

The Blues won the Champions League just five months into Tuchel's reign as coach last season and are expected to challenge to retain that title and win the Premier League this season.

Saul is Chelsea's second signing of the summer after spending a club record £97.5 million ($134 million) to re-sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan.

Arsenal sign Japan defender Tomiyasu from Bologna

Arsenal signed Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna for a fee worth a reported £19.8 million ($27.2 million) on Tuesday.

The Premier League club said Tomiyasu agreed a "long-term" contract, believed to be an initial four-year deal with the option of a further season's extension.

The 22-year-old can play both centre-back and right-back, giving Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta another option after Hector Bellerin's loan move to Real Betis.

Tomiyasu made 63 appearances for Serie A side Bologna over the last two seasons.

He has played 23 times for Japan and was a member of their recent Olympic squad, making three appearances at the Tokyo Games.

"Takehiro is a strong defender with good experience in Serie A and at international level," Arteta said.

"He's a versatile defender with great defensive qualities, high technical ability and composure on the ball.

"He will be an important member of our squad. We look forward to Takehiro joining up with us when he returns from international duty."

Arsenal sit bottom of the Premier League after losing their first three games, conceding nine times in the process, and are yet to score a top-flight goal this term.

The Gunners reportedly moved for Tomiyasu after their north London rivals Tottenham signed Barcelona right-back Emerson Royal, who had been Arsenal's preferred target.

Tomiyasu started his career with Japanese club Avispa Fukuoka before moving to Belgium's Sint-Truiden and then on to Bologna in 2019.

Arsenal's technical director Edu added: "We're delighted to have signed Takehiro. We've been watching him for a while now and we're pleased that we have reached an agreement with Bologna. He is an important addition to our squad."

Palace swoop for Celtic striker Edouard

Crystal Palace completed the signing of French under-21 international Odsonne Edouard from Celtic for a reported initial fee of £15 million ($21 million)ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline.

The Eagles were eager to improve their attacking options after scoring just twice in new manager Patrick Vieira's first three Premier League games.

Edouard had just one season left on his deal at Celtic and has signed a four-year deal with the Premier League club.

"Scoring goals in the Premier League may be the biggest challenge in my career," Edouard told the Palace website. "But I'm confident in myself and my team-mates to be successful."

Edouard progressed through the Paris Saint-Germain academy and spent time on loan at Toulouse before joining Celtic initially on loan in 2017.

The Frenchman hit double figures and scored in two notable victories over rivals Rangers to help the club seal the treble.

After Celtic made the move permanent for a club record £9 million, Edouard went on to play a key role in Celtic securing two more domestic trebles.

In total he scored 86 goals in 179 games for the Glasgow giants and was crowned Scottish footballer of the year in 2019/20.

However, his final full season at Celtic ended in disappointment as the Hoops failed to win a record 10th consecutive Scottish title.

"Odsonne is a player of proven quality. He was a player in high demand and I'm delighted he chose to join Crystal Palace as another fantastic addition to our squad," said Palace chairman Steve Parish.

Edouard becomes Palace's seventh new signing under Vieira's new era for the Eagles.

Arsenal's Bellerin joins Real Betis on loan

Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin joined La Liga side Real Betis on a season-long loan on Tuesday.

Bellerin was surplus to requirements at the Emirates Stadium after falling out of favour with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

The Spanish right-back has made 239 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal since 2013.

He is a three-time FA Cup winner with the Gunners but had not featured in a single game so far this term.

Bellerin, 26, lost his place as Calum Chambers and Cedric Soares started instead of him, while new signing Nuno Tavares can play at both full-back positions.

"Everyone at Arsenal wishes Hector the best of luck with Real Betis this season," the club said in a statement on their website.

Czech midfielder Kral joins West Ham on loan

Czech midfielder Alex Kral joined West Ham from Spartak Moscow on a season-long loan with an option to buy on Tuesday, the clubs announced.

The 23-year-old defensive midfielder will join former Slavia Prague and current Czech Republic teammates Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal at West Ham.

"Welcome in West Ham family bro @alexkralcz," tweeted Coufal.

West Ham said later they were "delighted" to announce Kral's arrival.

"He will provide good competition in the centre of midfield," West Ham manager David Moyes told the club's website.

"He is another young, talented player who we feel has a big potential and will be capable of adapting to the demands of the Premier League."

"We've brought him in on loan initially and, hopefully, over the course of the season he will make a valuable contribution, particularly with our busier schedule of fixtures," Moyes added.

West Ham finished sixth in the Premier League last season to qualify for the Europa League.

"Alex is another established international player with the Czech Republic, and we hope he has similar characteristics and hunger to that of Tomas and Vladimir," said Moyes.

Born in the eastern Slovak city of Kosice, Kral has scored two goals in 22 games for the Czech Republic national team, with whom he reached the Euro 2020 quarter-finals.