Chelsea
have completed the signing of Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid for
the remainder of the season.
The Blues have beaten Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal to
the signing of the Portugal forward, with neither side willing to pay the
€11m (£9.69m) loan fee plus wages.
Felix could be in contention to make his Chelsea debut at Fulham on Thursday
night, but Blues boss Graham Potter said the club are awaiting confirmation
of whether or not he can play in the west London derby.
Potter added on Felix: "He's a quality player. He can make a difference in
the final third. He is young but has a lot of really good experience. He's a
quality player that brings everyone a lift."
Asked whether the deal had been planned, Potter responded: "We've been aware
of it for a while. The injuries have maybe sharpened the focus of the club.
"It is nice to get him here and training today. We will see him for the game
on Thursday.
"From a physical perspective, he can go in. It's always a little bit of an
unknown period as he is going from one club to another, but that's on a
case-to-case basis."
Atletico have said Felix has agreed to extend his contract with the Spanish
club by one year taking his deal up until June 2027.
On the loan move to Chelsea, Felix told the club's official website:
"Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team
reach their objectives, so I am very, very happy to be here and very excited
to play at Stamford Bridge."
Felix travelled to London on Tuesday to undergo a medical ahead of joining
Chelsea for the rest of the season.
The 23-year-old becomes Chelsea's fourth signing of the month following the
arrivals of Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos.
Felix joined Atletico from Benfica in a €126m (£111m) deal from Benfica in
2019.
The LaLiga side have been prepared to let Felix - who has five goals and
three assists in all competitions this season - leave on loan in January
because of his difficult relationship with manager Diego Simeone.
Does Atletico contract extension suggest
Simeone is leaving?
Spanish football expert Fernando Kallas told Sky Sports News:
"It's not a surprise because I don't see Joao Felix playing here. It was a
relationship that was completely broken [with Diego Simeone]. We knew that
he was leaving, we didn't even expect him to play again for Atletico Madrid
after the World Cup - they had to do it, they had no option.
"He's not going to play under Simeone and he just renewed his contract at
Atletico, so is Simeone leaving at the end of the season? That's the
question everybody is asking in Spain.
"There are reports that the relationship between Simeone and the board and
Atletico's owners is getting more and more complicated. He's a very
complicated guy to deal with, very strong-minded.
"His military mentality and regime at Atletico Madrid was really good from
the beginning with the low-level players, but dealing with superstars like
Joao Felix, it's another deal.
"It's weird that it's only a loan, it is a very expensive loan - €11m is a
lot of money for only for six months with no buy clause. What is happening
with Atletico at the end of the season - that is the big question.
"I think it works because for Atletico, it's a very expensive salary that
Chelsea is going to have to pay, and for Chelsea, they're getting an
outstanding player that wanted to leave, he's motivated, he wants to show
Simeone and to Atletico that he is worth the €127m that Atletico paid for
him. So, it's a 'prove it' deal for these six months."
'Chelsea also want right-back and
midfielder'
Sky Sports chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
"You’ve got to factor in Felix's wages. He earns more than £250,000 per week
so Chelsea have to cover his wages as well.
"Chelsea have been criticised because they’re spending so much money in the
transfer market, but they do have a strategy this month.
"Ideally, they would like a right-back as well, and a midfield player."
'
Felix deal works for both parties'
Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth:
"This deal works for both parties. Chelsea would probably look to the summer
when they can reassess and see what other options are out there.
"For Atletico Madrid, they paid close to £120m for Felix. If they were to
include an option price now or sell him now, they wouldn’t get anywhere near
that money.
"It’s likely they won’t get anywhere near that money when they do eventually
sell him, but if he goes to Chelsea and performs really well for six months,
he can then go back to Atletico with three years left on his contract and
maybe his value is higher.
"Arsenal wanted to sign him as well, and Manchester United were looking at
him."
'Felix could help but next season should
be the focus'
Sky Sports football journalist Joe Shread:
Owner Todd Boehly has already shown he's more than willing to spend in a bid
to improve Graham Potter's squad, and attack is clearly an area that needs
addressing.
Finding the back of the net is a serious issue, with Chelsea ranking 12th
for goals scored in the Premier League, while Raheem Sterling and Kai
Havertz are the only players to score more than three goals in all
competitions.
The need for more goalscorers in Potter's squad is obvious, but the lack of
chances being created is arguably an even bigger issue.
Chelsea rank a lowly 15th for expected goals in the Premier League and have
actually outperformed their figure of 18.81, suggesting their forwards are
not underperforming as dramatically as it may seem.
Felix's move to Atletico may not have worked out the way either party hoped,
but he is a player that should be able to help with Chelsea's issues in the
final third if he hits the ground running in west London.
Despite starting just seven LaLiga matches this season, he ranks in the top
12 in the Spanish top flight for both goals and assists per 90 minutes.
Felix is also a versatile forward, capable of playing as a striker, a No 10
or on the flanks - something that will appeal to Potter, given the head
coach's habit of deploying a variety of formations.
However, questions will be asked about the decision to bring in Felix
without negotiating an option to buy the Portugal international as part of
the loan deal.
Barring another remarkable run in the Champions League, silverware is
already out of the question this season for the Blues, meaning the second
half of the campaign should be about building for 2023/24.
If Felix is not going to be a part of next season, do they need him taking a
place in the team of somebody who will be?
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