Joao Felix re-signed for Chelsea in the summer on a permanent basis, but it’s been a struggle for him to find his top form.
The Chelsea squad is extremely competitive this season, especially in the attacking positions of the pitch. As a result, Joao Felix can’t seem to force his way into the best line-up.
The Portuguese attacker has scored seven goals in 20 games across all competitions this term. However, the 25-year-old must be so frustrated that he’s only started three games in the Premier League so far.
Felix usually impresses when he plays for Chelsea, but he can’t break into the best XI because Cole Palmer is favoured as a No.10 and Nicolas Jackson is the first-choice striker.
What Enzo Maresca said about Joao Felix when he joined Chelsea
Back in August 2024, Felix returned to Chelsea permanently after they purchased him from Atletico Madrid. There were eyebrows raised about where he would fit into the team, but Blues manager Enzo Maresca was keen to point out the attacker’s versatility.
Maresca insisted Felix can play numerous different roles. The Chelsea head coach said in August: “He’s (Felix) a talent. The club already knows him from two years ago. The good thing about Joao is he can play different positions, inside, as a nine, outside.”
It’s very interesting to recall that Maresca highlighted Felix’s versatility as a big strength last year because of how the player’s season is going.
We’ve seen that Felix can’t get much of a look-in as a No.10 or a No.9. In terms of the wide roles, he continues to play second fiddle behind a bunch of wingers that are very inconsistent this campaign as well.
Based on the season so far, we think Felix is very unfortunate not to have played more minutes. It turns out Maresca’s faith in him isn’t as big as some thought.
Joao Felix transfer rumours
The speculation continues to surface this month about Felix possibly leaving Chelsea already.
Chelsea are in talks with Aston Villa about selling Felix, which would be a high-profile transfer for the Midlands club.
Elsewhere, AC Milan are one of the teams interested in Chelsea forward Felix as clubs enquire about getting him before the mid-season transfer window shuts on 3 February.
You could make a strong case for saying Felix should come into the Blues XI right now in some capacity, so it would be pretty remarkable to see him leave. It would make sense from the player’s perspective, though.
