Joao Felix is set to become the eleventh Chelsea signing of the summer but the Atletico Madrid forward has already told manager Enzo Maresca why he wanted to return to Stamford Bridge.
The 24-year-old is expected to sign a six-year contract with the Blues, which will see him stay with the club until 2030, after agreeing personal terms. Felix will be the fourth attacking signing to arrive under Maresca after Pedro Neto, Omari Kellyman and Marc Guiu all signed for the Blues earlier in the summer and will provide the Italian with yet another deadly threat going forward.
It’s the star’s second stint with the club, after he was bought in on loan for the second half of the season back in 2023 under then-manager Graham Potter. However, the six-month spell came at arguably the worst time possible for the Portuguese international who arrived slap-bang in the middle of Chelsea’s worst Premier League season in nearly 30 years.
His four goals for the club each served as a reminder of his talents, with no better one to sum up Chelsea’s season than his brilliant solo effort against Manchester United which saw him run from inside his own half before dispatching the ball past David de Gea in the dying minutes of the match – Chelsea lost 4-1.
Despite that, Felix was upbeat about his time in west London, highlighting the immediate connection he felt to the club’s supporters who had welcomed him with open arms. In one of his first press conferences at Chelsea, he claimed: “I was at Atletico for three years and I didn’t have a chant, here at Chelsea, I had one after one game. They [Blues fans] have a chant for almost every player, it’s funny.”
Maresca’s possession-based play style is one that looks likely to fit Felix’s own style like a glove, with the Atletico star having been renowned by former manager Diego Simeone for his ability to find space whilst simultaneously pulling the strings in between the lines.
While playing under Potter, Felix compared the two leagues but admitted he preferred to play in England where he felt much more ‘free’ to roam around the attacking third – something he’ll want Maresca to understand quickly as he makes his return to Stamford Bridge.
Two months into his loan spell, Felix said: “The position I play in and the way we play at Chelsea is different from how we played at Atlético. I have much more freedom to put my football into practice, to be at my best. I’m feeling good here, it’s just getting results and then it’s perfect.
“Yeah [I’m feeling freedom here], it’s a different kind of football. The league is different. The way the teams play in La Liga and Premier League is totally different. I felt that in the first game. Chelsea is a team who likes to attack, who likes to have the ball and likes to dominate the game, so that’s the game I like to play. I feel very free to play here, to play as I like. I’m loving it.
“I think I needed it [the loan move]. When I left Atletico I thought it was good for me and for them. So I think it was the perfect deal. I just wanted to try something different because I always try to do my best. Sometimes it didn’t work so I have to change to see if things go differently. So I think it’s important for me this loan and I’m very happy to play here.”
Felix now looks set to make his second Chelsea debut at Molineux this weekend with the Blues ready to travel up to the Midlands to face Wolves but not before they host Servette in their Europa Conference League playoff first leg in west London on Thursday night.
