Chelsea’s next signing is confirmed to be Atletico Madrid player Joao Felix on a 6-month loan, costing the Blues £10 million while also paying 100% of his wages.
But is he the attacker Chelsea need and what does this mean for attackers already in the squad.
What can he bring to Chelsea?
It’s no secret that Chelsea have had their fair share of underwhelming attackers, from Alvaro Morata to one of the more recent ones in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But what does Felix bring that previous attackers don’t?
Well for starters, he brings the creativity that Chelsea have been lacking. While strikers like Morata and Romelu Lukaku didn’t live up to expectations, there has been a lack of service for strikers. That’s not an excuse for those players, but it’s still a problem the Blues have failed to deal with in recent seasons. Felix might not be able to fill that gap, but he is definitely a start.
Although Felix hasn’t been performing to his potential at Madrid, that has mainly been down to how he’s been used. Diego Simeone’s style doesn’t get the best out of Felix, if you want a reminder of what he is capable of away from Simeone then just look at how he did for Portugal at the World Cup.
He can also bring versatility in attack, which is ideal when you’re in such a big injury crisis as Chelsea are. But even when every player is fit, the Portuguese star is still a first team player.
What does this mean for other attackers in the club?
This transfer might be a good thing for the squad, but some players could find themselves on their way out of Chelsea, especially if the deal becomes permanent.
It’s already clear that the club are looking to sell Lukaku after loaning the player out to Inter, but who are the other players that might not benefit from this transfer, names that instantly come to mind are Aubameyang, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech.
Kai Havertz’s name will always be in Chelsea’s history books after scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final for the Blues, but Felix joining means his future at the club could be in doubt. Although his time at Chelsea has been far from perfect, he is actually Chelsea’s top goal scorer under Graham Potter so it would be harsh to sell him without giving him a chance to play with Felix first.
Aubameyang has been a different story. It didn’t seem a good fit from the moment he signed with Chelsea after his problems with Arsenal. Although he hasn’t caused any problems with the Blues, Aubameyang hasn’t played to the standard that Todd Boehly hoped he would and it’s likely he could end up leaving the club after just a season.
Hakim Ziyech is a player who hasn’t really been given a consistent run of games under former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and current Blues manager Graham Potter. Given more game time, then Chelsea might think differently about selling him but with Felix coming in, it seems more than likely the player is heading for the exit at Stamford Bridge.
Is this a good deal?
It remains to be seen if Felix fits in well at the Blues. However, some fans are concerned that he has signed a one year extension on his deal at Madrid, but this isn’t a big deal because I’m more than certain they are just doing this to increase his value.
The fact is that if he plays well and enjoys Chelsea then I’m sure there won’t be a problem if we tried to sign him permanently.
Felix is definitely not the missing piece of the puzzle, but he’s a good start for a team that desperately needs a rebuild.
