It’s Monday, so it’s time for Fabrizio Romano to get to work reporting some news that isn’t really news, as is his wont.
This time it’s about Joao Felix, who joined Chelsea on loan from Atletico Madrid in January. Romano says he understands that Chelsea want to sign Felix permanently and are happy with his impact since arriving.
He tempers this by saying that any deal will depend on how much Atletico ask for their asset, as well as the coach chosen by Chelsea to be their long term option in the summer.
Understand Chelsea want to keep João Félix as part of long term project. Club very happy with his impact, João also keen on staying at #CFC. 🔵🇵🇹
The deal will depend on tag asked by Atlético, talks will take place soon.
New coach, also a factor.
🎥 https://t.co/AWIFYuQe8l pic.twitter.com/GYfGdFX8Sc
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 10, 2023
This is set to be a divisive issue for Chelsea fans, it looks like.
Felix does some brilliant things on the pitch, but much as with his time at Atletico, they don’t translate to goals, assists and results often enough.
His quality is undeniable, and there’s a feeling that a good team and a good coach will be able to unlock his full potential – but that’s exactly what they said at Atletico for several years.
Chelsea are foolish if they spend 75-85 million on unfulfilled potential. Beyond his seeming inability to finish in the box, for me Felix shows all too frequent moments of questionable decision-making, like his propensity for firing long-range shots that have even less chance of finding the back of the net than his misses inside the box. He’s such a talent, but still requires coaching and, critically, a true #9 to play off of, before we see his best.
It’s a good deal