[ad_1]
Chelsea have completed the signing of Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season.
The Blues beat Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal to sign the Portugal striker, 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 was waiting for confirmation on whether or not he could play in the west London derby.
Potter added of Felix: “He’s a good player. He can make a difference in the last third. He’s young but has a lot of really good experience. He’s a good player who brings everyone a boost.”
Asked if a deal had been planned, Potter replied: “We’ve known about it for a while. Injuries may have put the club on edge.
“It’s good to be here training today. We’ll see him in action on Thursday.
“From a physical perspective, he could get in. It’s always a little bit of an unknown period as he moves from club to club, but that’s on a case-by-case basis.”
Atlético said Felix has agreed a one-year extension to his contract with the Spanish club, with his contract running 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 its goals, so I’m very happy to be here and very excited about playing at Stamford Bridge.”
Felix traveled to London on Tuesday to undergo a medical before joining Chelsea for the rest of the season.
The 23-year-old became Chelsea’s fourth signing this month following the arrivals of Benoit Badiachel, Davide Datro Fofana and Andre Santos.
Felix joined Atlético from Benfica in a €126m (£111m) deal from Benfica in 2019.
LaLiga were prepared to let Felix – who has scored five goals and provided three assists in all competitions this season – go on loan in January due to his difficult relationship with coach Diego Simeone.
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Chelsea’s latest Premier League game – home defeat to Manchester City Could Depay replace Felix at Atletico? Photo: Atletico Madrid want FC Barcelona’s Memphis Depay
Atletico Madrid are in talks to sign Barcelona striker Memphis Depay as they look for a replacement for Joao Felix.
Depay is out of contract in the summer. Atletico also looked into the possibility of signing Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
However, FIFA rules state that a player can be registered with a maximum of three clubs per season – but only play for two of them.
Image: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could return to Barcelona
Aubameyang played for Barcelona and Chelsea. Barcelona is exploring the possibility of re-signing him if Depay moves to Atletico.
In a seven-month spell with Barcelona last year, Aubameyang scored 13 goals in 18 matches in all competitions.
Under Graham Potter, Aubameyang has started four matches in the Premier League.
Does Atletico contract extension mean Simeone will leave?
Spanish football expert Fernando Claes told Sky Sports News:
“It’s not a surprise because I don’t see Joao Félix playing here. It was an absolutely shattered relationship [with Diego Simeone]. We knew he was leaving, and we didn’t even expect him to play again for Atletico Madrid after the World Cup – they had to, they had no choice.
“He won’t play under Simeone and he’s just renewed his contract with Atlético, so will Simeone leave at the end of the season? That’s the question everyone in Spain is asking.
Photo: Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone had a broken relationship with Felix
“There are reports that the relationship between Simeone, the board and the owners of Atlético is getting more and more complicated. He is a very complex man to deal with, very strong-minded.
“His military mentality and his system at Atlético Madrid was really good from the start with low-level players, but dealing with superstars like Joao Felix, it’s another bargain.
“It’s strange that it’s just a loan, it’s a very expensive loan – €11m is a lot of money for just six months with no buy-out clause. What happens with Atlético at the end of the season – that’s the big question.
“I think it works because for Atletico it’s a very expensive salary that Chelsea have to pay, and for Chelsea they get a top player who wanted to leave, he’s passionate, he wants to show Simeone and Atletico. He’s worth the €127m that Atletico paid for him. So, It’s a ‘proof of it’ deal for these six months.”
Joao Felix is eager to start his new challenge with Chelsea and has told their fans to be excited about his footballing brand. Interview provided by Chelsea TV ‘Chelsea also want a right-back and a midfielder’
Sky Sports correspondent Café Sohlkul said:
“You have to factor in Felix’s wages. He earns more than £250,000 a week so Chelsea have to cover his salary as well.
“Chelsea have been criticized for spending a lot of money in the transfer market, but they have a strategy this month.
“Ideally, they would like a right-back as well, and a midfielder.”
Felix deal works for both parties
The Good Morning Transfers team are discussing whether Joao Felix would be a positive addition to Chelsea if his proposed transfer is completed.
Sky Sports correspondent Dharmesh Sheth:
“This is a mutually beneficial deal. Maybe Chelsea will look to the summer when they can reassess and see what other options are available.
“For Atletico Madrid, they paid close to £120m to buy Felix. If they had to include the option price now or sell it now, they wouldn’t come close to that money.
“They probably won’t come close to that money when they eventually sell him, but if he goes to Chelsea and does really well for six months, then he could go back to Atletico with three years left on his contract and maybe his contract value is even higher.
“Arsenal wanted to sign him too, and Manchester United were looking at him.”
Felix can help but next season should be the focus Photo: Felix was part of Portugal’s World Cup squad last month
Sky Sports football journalist Joe Shred:
Owner Todd Boehly has already shown he’s willing to spend trying to improve the Graham Potter team, and offense is clearly an area that needs addressing.
Finding the back of the net is a serious problem, as Chelsea are 12th most goals scored in the Premier League, while Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz are the only players to have scored more than three goals in all competitions.
The need for more scorers in Potter’s lineup is obvious, but the lack of chances being created is arguably a bigger problem.
After hearing some Chelsea fans vent their frustration towards Graham Potter by singing Thomas Tuchel chants at the Etihad, Pep Guardiola has insisted Todd Boyle should give the Chelsea manager time.
Chelsea are the 15th-lowest goals expected in the Premier League and have actually bettered their own figure of 18.81, suggesting that the forwards’ performance is not quite as formidable as it might seem.
Felix’s move to Atletico may not go the way either party would hope, but he is a player who should be able to help solve Chelsea’s problems in the final third if he hits the ground in west London.
Although he has only started seven LaLiga matches this season, he ranks in the top 12 in La Liga in terms of goals and assists per 90 minutes.
Felix is also a versatile striker, capable of playing as a forward, number 10 or on the wings – which will appeal to Potter, given the head coach’s habit of using a wide variety of formations.
However, questions will be raised over the decision to bring in Felix without negotiating the option to buy the Portugal international as part of the loan deal.
Barring another impressive run in the Champions League, silverware is already out of the question this season for the Blues, meaning the second half of the season will have to build around 2023/24.
If Felix isn’t going to be a part of next season, do they need him to take a spot on someone’s team that he will be?
Follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports
Who will move this winter? The January transfer window opens on Sunday 1 January 2023 and closes at 11pm on Tuesday 31 January 2023.
Stay up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumors in our dedicated Transfer Hub blog on the Sky Sports digital platforms. You can also catch up on the downside and analysis on Sky Sports News.
|
Sources 2/ https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNreXNwb3J0cy5jb20vZm9vdGJhbGwvbmV3cy8xMTY2OC8xMjc4MzczNS9qb2FvLWZlbGl4LWNoZWxzZWEtc2lnbi1hdGxldGljby1tYWRyaWQtYW5kLXBvcnR1Z2FsLWZvcndhcmQtb24tbG9hbtIBAA?oc=5 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
[ad_2]