Last night’s amazing drama in the Chelsea-sphere has continued today.
Just when it seemed that things were starting to get settled ahead of the new season, they were thrown into disarray by last night’s shocking news that Samu Omorodion’s transfer had collapsed. The fact that the Atletico Madrid striker was no longer coming to Chelsea has had a huge knock on effect.
Firstly it threatens Conor Gallagher’s move in the other direction. Without the €40m or so we were going to pay for Omorodion, Atletico are struggling to pony up for Gallagher, and are also in trouble in their marquee deal to sign Julian Alvarez from Man City.
In his piece covering the madness today, Matt Law has explained how this is all leading to Chelsea interest in Joao Felix to be intensified. Buying him would hand Atletico the cash to give straight back to us for Conor Gallagher. In the strange world of player amortisation, this apparently all makes sense. Selling a player who is popular and useful to the first team, and replacing him with a player who has no obvious place or role in this team somehow adds up.
The numbers that grease wheels of Felix deal
Law’s piece claims that Chelsea would be able to sign Portugal international Felix for “under £40m”, and that that discount price means the deal “may prove too favourable to turn down.” The former Benfica wonderkid also is showing a “willingness to take a significant cut to his salary to his into the club’s wage structure.”
Felix had 6 months on loan at Chelsea in the second half of the 2022-2023 season. he scored 4 times in 20 appearances and had plenty of bright flashes, although he ultimately failed to impress enough to convince those in charge that
Going back to him now would feel a regressive move, especially as we’re being pressured into it by the dependence of other deals.