Marcos Alonso has welcomed Saul Niguez to Chelsea.

Alonso says their common ground goes way back.

"I know Saul from the national team, and also we shared a manager from when we were in the Real Madrid academy," he told chelseafc.com.

"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."