Chelsea
are in advanced talks to sign Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.
The Blues look set to beat 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.
Felix would provide a much-needed boost to head coach Graham Potter’s
attacking options, with his side scoring just 20 goals in 17 Premier League
matches this season.
Despite the transfer window only being open for just over a week, Chelsea
have already been active in January, signing Benoit Badiashile, David Datro
Fofana and Andrey Santos.
Potter will hope their arrivals can help to improve his team’s form, with
just one win coming from their last seven matches in all competitions.
Chelsea are currently 10th in the Premier League - 10 points outside the top
four - and have already been knocked out of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
The west London club’s only realistic remaining hope of silverware this
season is in the Champions League, where they face Borussia Dortmund in the
last 16 next month.
Felix has just seven LaLiga starts for Atletico this season but he was named
in the starting XI for their 1-0 defeat at home to Barcelona on Sunday.
However, the LaLiga side are 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.
The 23-year-old joined Atletico from Benfica in a €126m (£111m) deal from
Benfica in 2019.
'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 would 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.
"What they want to sign is a wide player - I think that will be Felix.
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 would probably work 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 if
Chelsea do not negotiate 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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