Under Todd Boehly, Chelsea have been the market leaders in multi-year contracts, but they've just been blown out of the water by Manchester City.

On Friday, the Premier League champions announced a jaw-dropping nine-and-a-half-year deal for Erling Haaland, worth over £500,000 a week. Chelsea themselves recently locked down Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez to nine-year contracts, reflecting the club's ambitious Clearlake-era habit of committing players to six-year-plus deals.

While bold, this approach carries undeniable risks, and history offers plenty of cautionary tales – none more so than the saga of former Chelsea flop Saul Niguez. In 2017, Atletico Madrid handed Saul a nine-year contract, making him one of their highest earners.

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At the time, it seemed like a masterstroke. Saul, a product of Atletico's academy, had blossomed into one of the most promising midfielders in world football. Securing his future felt like a no-brainer.

But things unravelled quickly. His form began to dip in 2019, costing him his place in the Spanish national team. While he initially retained a spot in Atletico's starting XI, his performances grew increasingly inconsistent, forcing Diego Simeone to bench him.

By 2020, Atletico found themselves stuck with a declining player still tied to a lucrative, long-term deal. Desperate for a solution, they loaned him to Chelsea during the 2021/22 season, including an option to buy. However, his time in England was nothing short of disastrous.

Saul's debut against Aston Villa was a nightmare, setting the tone for a miserable stint. He made just 10 Premier League appearances, most from the bench, and Chelsea unsurprisingly declined to make the move permanent. Reflecting on his time at Stamford Bridge, Saul admitted: "Things didn’t start well at all. After a long time at home, changing everything wasn't easy."

Returning to Madrid, Saul continued to struggle. He was handed regular game-time, but his importance to Simeone's side dwindled. In March 2024, he addressed criticism after a stretch of poor form, writing candidly on social media: "Honestly, it's hard for me to write right now, but just like I write in good times, I have to write in bad times.

"It's a s***ty moment for me on a sporting level, and I'm aware of it. I accept all criticism, not just for today but for how I am at the moment. I don't know exactly what it is, but the only thing they have taught me is to keep working through the good and the bad until I manage to change the situation."

Simeone finally drew the line over the summer, informing Saul he was no longer part of the club's plans. But with two years still remaining on his contract, Atletico scrambled to offload him on loan to Sevilla.

The move has done little to revive his fortunes. Saul has featured in just eight of Sevilla's 19 La Liga matches this season, leaving Atletico increasingly desperate to cut ties and shed his hefty wages – a task easier said than done.

Saul's story serves as a stark reminder: in football, big bets don't always pay off – even when it comes to the Erling Haalands of this world.