Joao Felix red card will cost Chelsea millions

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 12 Jan 2023 22:00 GMT
• 3 min read

Portuguese international Joao Felix was shown a straight red card just 58 minutes into his Chelsea debut after a high challenge on Fulham's Kenny Tete, and it will cost the Blues millions.

Felix, 23, was a bright spark for Chelsea during his time on the pitch but was sent off by referee David Coote less than an hour into his Blues debut. Chelsea went on to lose the game 2-1 after Fulham striker Carlos Vinicius scored a winner in the second-half.

The forward was somewhat of a surprise inclusion in the Chelsea starting XI after only joining on loan from Atletico Madrid just over 24 hours before the Blues' trip to Craven Cottage. But, he was trusted from the start by Graham Potter amid an injury crisis at Stamford Bridge.

READ: Why Joao Felix is just an expensive stop-gap for Chelsea

In his time on the pitch, Felix took six shots, including four on target, and completed two dribbles and one key pass.

Thanks to receiving a straight red card, Felix will be ruled out of contention for Chelsea's next three fixtures, meaning he won't be able to play against Crystal Palace, Liverpool or the return fixture against Fulham at Stamford Bridge.

In the process, Felix has become the first player since Federico Fazio in 2014 to be sent off on his Premier League debut.

READ: Chelsea star Joao Felix 'not humble enough' to succeed

How much will Felix's red card cost Chelsea?

Chelsea signed Felix on a six-month loan deal, spending €11 million to bring him to the club from Atletico Madrid. In addition, the Blues agreed to pay his €315,000 per week wages for the entire duration of the loan move.

With the €11m fee split across 22 games in all competitions (not including if Chelsea advance past the last-16 stage of the Champions League), the Blues have paid €0.5m per game to sign Felix.

The Portuguese forward will now miss three games, meaning they'll have spent €1.5m for him to watch from the stands for the duration of his suspension.

The next time Felix will be available for selection will be Chelsea's clash against West Ham on February 11. That means the Blues will also pay his wages for four-and-a-half weeks without being able to play him.

Those wages add up to a huge €1.42m that Chelsea will spend on Felix before he can feature for the club again.

In total, Felix will effectively cost Chelsea €2.92m before he can next play for the club, including his wages and transfer fee.