Joao Felix is finally free from Atlético Madrid, at least for the time being. The Portugal international never really looked comfortable in the Spanish capital under Diego Simeone. This year the relationship between the two men seemed to completely sour. As was expected then, the team has allowed him to seek other opportunities. After being linked to Arsenal and other Premier League teams it was ultimately Chelsea who will be bringing him on for a reported 11 million euro loan fee.
Joao is going to have his hands full from his first day at Stamford Bridge. The team currently lacks an identity and this has caused them to fall completely out of contention for the league title. They sit in tenth place and have dropped 3 out of their last 5 games in the league. Is this move going to help either side? Is Joao going to be able to find true superstar form? If he does that, what would that mean for Chelsea?
Chelsea’s Got A Lot Of Holes
This may actually seem like an awkward thing to say when you look at the starting lineups that Chelsea has fielded in the last few games. All of the players on the squad are essentially well known commodities. The problem is some are either past their prime or just haven’t been able to regain their magic touch that they left god knows where.
For example, Jorginho was once upon a time one of the best central midfielders in the world. His pairing with N’golo Kante seemed to be one of the strongest as well. In the summer there’s a good chance that neither of the two are playing for Chelsea. Kante is presumably going to leave in this winter window, injuries haven’t allowed him to play much in the last few months. That leaves Kovacic with big shoes to fill. He just seems to be one of those players that we always expected to make a big leap, but he never did.
Ironically that’s something that can be said about Joao Felix as well. Chelsea have been looking for a consistent presence at the number 9 spot pretty much since the departure of Didier Drogba. Let’s be honest, Timo Werner is anything but consistent. Could we even say that Joao is a number 9?
Will The Premier League Benefit A Player Like Joao Felix?
Besides the position that he might play with this Chelsea team, another one of the things that he’s going to have to adapt to is the Premier League itself. There’s a little more space for talented players like Felix in the Premier League than there is in La Liga. Yet the game is a bit more physical. To be honest we don’t really have a prediction here. What we could say is that at least on paper Felix is more talented than all of the options that Chelsea currently have on the roster. Sometimes though certain players just don’t get acclimated to the Premier League quickly.
Is This Bad News For Christian Pulisic?
The short answer is yes! We don’t expect Joao to play in a number 9 role. Chelsea will be probably better off with him on the wing or in a false 9 spot. Any position that allows him to have more contact with the ball. Pulisic is going to be one of those players that Felix will have to compete with for minutes. Even before Joao arrived it wasn’t like Pulisic was the first choice for any Chelsea manager that he’s had since he got there. There’s an argument to be made that Christian should look for a way out in this transfer window. The team’s not great, he’s not getting playing, maybe a move back to Germany could help stabilize his career at this point!
