Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says Saul Niguez has significantly improved his level for the club.

The Spanish midfielder was heavily involved in the Blues impressive 2-0 win against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi final first leg on Wednesday.

Saul started the game and helped Chelsea establish midfield control for most of the contest.

Asked if Saul was now settling with the team, Tuchel told reporters: "Yeah he is. He is more happy, he is more free in training, I see it every day.

"He played better when he came on against Wolves, he already had a good impact. So he's stepping up and stepping up.

"I was so happy when I saw him on the sideline when we scored the equaliser and the 2-1 against Liverpool, he was totally committed, it was very, very impressive to see him like this.

"So this is an important moment for him but I have a feeling like he digested the experiences in the beginning, where he maybe did not expect it like this – he's not the first player to struggle from the switch.

"And what he does is good because he's open, he's fully focused and totally committed to the team so I'm very happy he had a performance like today where it was a huge step up."