Chelsea have managed to reinforce their front line in a significant way. Graham Potter’s side may have just found an answer to their striker problem in the form of João Félix.
Atletico Madrid reached a deal with Chelsea for the 23-year-old that will see him play at Stamford Bridge for the remainder of the season. According to ESPN, Chelsea agreed to pay a loan fee in the neighborhood of £11 million. However, there is no option to make the move permanent.
Agreement with @ChelseaFC for the loan until the end of the season of João Félix, who extends his contract with our club for one year, until 2027.
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) January 11, 2023
ℹ️ https://t.co/92EGrvWPGz
Thank you João, we wish you the best of luck in this new professional challenge! pic.twitter.com/gIeaQj8mFE
Other Premier League sides like Arsenal and Manchester United were also interested in the Portuguese international but were unwilling to meet Atletico Madrid’s demands.
The move fulfills a desperate need for Chelsea, which is that of a striker. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was brought in from Barcelona but that signing was made under former manager Thomas Tuchel.
Aubameyang has struggled and has been all but forgotten under Potter. His low point coming recently when he was brought on to replace an injured Christian Pulisic only to be subbed soon after early in the second half.
As for Félix, it offers the opportunity to get his career back on track so to speak. It became evident he was not a good fit for Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. While Félix did what was asked of him, he wasn’t entirely happy with the way he was being used and the club was hoping he’d have a good World Cup and perhaps move him on during the summer.
With no one realistically willing to pay what Atletico would demand in a transfer fee, a loan with a high fee was the next best option.
Official, confirmed. João Félix becomes new Chelsea player on loan until end of the season 🚨🔵 #CFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 11, 2023
“Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team reach their objectives - I’m very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge”. pic.twitter.com/7h7QSsrkHx
Without a purchase option, Atletico Madrid will still be able to negotiate a potential sale in the summer or, if he performs well, keep him which seems rather unrealistic unless there is a change in how they play or there is a new manager.
Félix has 4 goals and three assists in 14 league matches this season. Though with his defensive responsibilities likely to be reduced, Chelsea hope he’ll be able to improve upon those numbers.