Signing Joao Felix would be Boehly’s BIGGEST Chelsea mistake

Cameron Smith

• 12 Aug 2024 08:45 BST
• 4 min read

Chelsea are desperate to sell Conor Gallagher. So desperate they are seemingly willing to sign Joao Felix on a permanent deal in order to ensure the Englishman joins Atletico Madrid.

Gallagher was one of the Blues’ most reliable performers last season, but he is set to leave his boyhood club after 16 years.

The England international has been deemed unsuited to Enzo Maresca’s possession-based style of football and he is expected to join Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side after Chelsea accepted a €42 million offer.

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024 - All the Done Deals

However, the deal is in doubt following news that Samu Omorodion’s proposed move in the opposite direction has collapsed.

In a bid to ensure Gallagher joins Atletico Madrid, Chelsea are now in talks to sign Felix, according to Fabrizio Romano.

READ MORE: Chelsea in talks to RE-SIGN Joao Felix after Omorodion collapse

Why Chelsea must avoid signing Joao Felix

Chelsea’s pursuit of Omorodion made sense; the fee was inflated for a player with only nine senior goals to his name, but he evidently has a lot of potential and he clearly fits into Chelsea’s new transfer strategy.

Felix, on the other hand, simply doesn’t.

He is now 24, has never lived up to the potential he showed at Benfica, and Chelsea crucially opted against signing him last summer following a fairly underwhelming loan spell at Stamford Bridge.

Mauricio Pochettino was reportedly a key reason why the Blues didn’t purchase Felix on a permanent deal in 2023, but it was a wise choice.

The Portuguese international scored just four goals and provided zero assists in 20 appearances on loan at Chelsea during a remarkably average six-month stint.

He showed flashes of pure genius and his technical quality can’t be questioned, but Felix is an inconsistent finisher and a below average creator.

Since leaving Benfica in 2019, the 24-year-old hasn’t scored more than eight league goals in a single season or provided more than five league assists.

By comparison, Gallagher, the player Chelsea are desperate to sell, notched five goals and seven assists in the Premier League last season, despite playing as a midfielder.

Furthermore, Felix has never been a guaranteed starter in Spain and his highest ever tally of LaLiga minutes came in his debut campaign at Atletico Madrid (1,748).

Current ETV

João Félix

F (CL)

Atlético

João Félix

F (CL)

Atlético

€48.2M

ETV Range

€36.1M - €60.2M

View full profile

The Portugal forward is far too inconsistent to justify a permanent move to Chelsea and he doesn’t align with the Blues’ recent transfer policy of signing young players before they reach their peak.

The main issue, however, is that he simply isn’t needed.

Omorodion is a central striker and given the fact Nicolas Jackson was forced to play a lot of football last season, Chelsea’s pursuit of the Spaniard made sense.

Felix, on the other hand, doesn’t have a defined position, but he works best as a second striker in a front two - a role that perfectly suits Christopher Nkunku, who is already at Chelsea.

With Cole Palmer, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka all capable of playing as a No.10 under Maresca too, Felix wouldn’t solve any problems and would instead cause multiple issues.

Chelsea clearly want to sell Gallagher, but signing Felix in order to make it happen isn’t the right option and would be a huge mistake.