Atletico Madrid Confirm Joao Felix To Leave Chelsea

João Félix’s future will not lie at Chelsea following the appointment of coach Mauricio Pochettino, Atlético Madrid appear to have confirmed. It comes as the hiring of the Argentine coach was confirmed on Monday, with Pochettino not hesitating to make decisions on his squad.

After a loan spell which saw Félix join the club in January, the Portuguese international has made 20 appearances in all competitions, scoring just four goals as Chelsea finished the season in 12th place.

“The truth is that I can’t tell you what the plan is with João Félix,” Atlético Madrid president Enrique Cerezo said while speaking at an event at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid on Tuesday.

“It’s the news we had yesterday, that the new coach doesn’t count on him for Chelsea,” he continued. “He will come back and we will see. We don’t have anything planned yet, João is an Atleti player.”

Atlético’s number seven had joined Chelsea for an initial loan period with a fee worth 11 million euros ($11.82 million) and did not include an option to buy, but speculation had persisted that Chelsea could seek to extend that deal. The arrival of Pochettino appears to have confirmed that the Blues will not pursue such an opportunity.

Félix wants to stay in England

Despite not having the smoothest ride during his stint in England, reports from COPE indicate that João Félix had initially planned to stay in the Premier
PINC
League with a priority of playing Champions League football.

For the 2023/24 campaign, that would open the door to a move to Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United or Newcastle United, though none of those clubs have shown a tangible interest in the forward.

Félix was sent off on his debut against Fulham in January and then made only 14 starts for Chelsea and saw coach Graham Potter dismissed and replaced by Frank Lampard. Back in Spain, Atlético Madrid recovered their form without him.

Atlético open to a return

In the first half of the season, Atlético’s club-record signing Félix had started only 11 of 25 possible matches amid claims of a falling out with coach Diego Simeone.

That was further fueled by Félix’s comments after his move to London, such as when he spoke to say that “Chelsea is a team that likes to attack, have the ball, dominate the game, so that’s the game I like to play. I feel very free to play here and how I like it. I love it.” It was believed that this was a direct criticism of Simeone’s more pragmatic style.

However, the Spanish club have little choice but to welcome back their 126-million euro ($135.37 million) signing. Signals from the club seem to support that notion, but it is clear who will remain in charge at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano.

“What he has to do is follow the coach’s orders. He has the quality to play in any team because he is good, he has proven it. He will work well and, wherever he plays, he will be key for the team he is in,” Cerezo said in an interview with MARCA earlier this week.