Joao Felix, 24, has officially re-signed with Atletico Madrid, and completed his season long loan move to Chelsea. According to various reports, the deal includes a loan fee that is in the neighborhood of £11 million. The forward and Portugese international said to Chelsea’s in-house media: “Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team reach their objectives, so I am very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge.”
Chelsea manager Graham Potter said the following at a Wednesday news conference ahead of the Blues southwest London derby at Fulham tomorrow:
‘I want to play with happiness’ – Joao Felix. ? pic.twitter.com/oIlOnbmvVt
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 11, 2023
“He is a quality player. He can make a difference in the final third of the pitch. Young, but has obviously still had a lot of really good experience so he is just a quality player who gives everybody a lift.
“It’s not for me speculate on [why it didn’t work out for him at Atletico]. Sometimes these things happen in football but for us it is about [him being] a good age, a fantastic player and his qualities playing as a second striker in between the lines, making something happen in the final third. So we are looking forward to working with him.”
Chelsea at Fulham FC FYIs
Kick-off: 8pm GMT, Thur Jan 12, 8pm Craven Cottage
Result Probability: Fulham FC win 29% Draw 27% Chelsea win 44%
Chelsea Team News: go here
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Joao Felix, who perfectly fills a need at Stamford Bridge, as they have major issues scoring goals, becomes the fourth player acquired by Chelsea this month. He joins: Benoit Badiashile (Monaco, for $39 million), David Datro Fofana (Molde for $13 million) and Andrey Santos (Vasco da Gama for $22 million). For more analysis on this transaction, go here.
Atletico also released a statement today, confirming the player’s contract extension by an additional season. He’ll now stay with the La Liga giant until the end of the 2026-2027 season.
“From Atletico de Madrid we wish Joao Felix every success in this new professional stage,” The club statement from Atleti reads.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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