Joao Felix came on as a late sub for Chelsea again against Newcastle on Sunday, reprising his usual role in recent weeks. That should be his last game for the club given his loan from Atletico Madrid has now come to an end. But there are plenty of whispers his stay could be extended, and the player has made clear how happy he is in London.
Would it be good move? Lots of Chelsea fans have quickly grown frustrated with him in his short time here. For all his silky feet and nice moves, there’s a sense that the end product and the hard work aren’t always there when they should be.
Perhaps it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time. We needed grafters and workers to put in a shift, while he’s more of the cherry on top of a cake (which in this case hasn’t actually been baked yet). Perhaps he will fare better next year, assuming Mauricio Pochettino is able to make something of this group.
The stats are also more positive for him than you might expect. He has an excellent goals per minute ratio, the best in the squad, and he also ranks top for expected goals, showing he’s not afraid to shoot – as we saw on Sunday when he managed two good efforts in his short cameo.
Right now, we honestly would struggle to predict whether he’s here or not next season.