Joao Felix: Truth behind Chelsea loan deal revealed

Robin Bairner

• 17 Mar 2023 08:53 GMT
• 3 min read

Joao Felix’s loan move from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea in January was a deal that was shrouded in controversy from the Spanish club’s perspective, but Rodrigo De Paul, a team-mate of the Portugal international in Spain, has moved to clear up any misunderstandings over the deal.

It was reported in Spain that Felix had a tense relationship with head coach Diego Simeone and even some of the members of the Atletico Madrid playing staff and that he was being bundled out the door because of that reason.

De Paul has argued against this, though, instead explaining that the move was motivated by Joao Felix’s desire to get more minutes – something he had struggled with in the Spanish capital this term.

MORE: Three England players heading for Chelsea summer exit

Why did Joao Felix leave Atletico Madrid?

Asked if the 23-year-old attacker’s departure to Chelsea in January has defused some of the tension around the locker room and allowed the team to go on a better run of form, he was emphatic.

“I disagree with that. Atleti were league champions with Joao. That’s my answer to you,” the World Cup winner told El Larguero.

“He did very well here, and with him the team would have had the same reaction. The fact that he wanted to find a way out for whatever reason does not mean that the group now feels better. They are two totally different things.

“Joao has always sought to have many minutes and lately he was not having that and he has decided to leave. Here he was a great player in whom we all trusted and above all a great person, who was loved by the dressing room.”

Felix has impressed since joining Chelsea, where he has played eight matches. Although he has not solved Graham Potter’s goal scoring problems, netting only once in that time, there is, nevertheless, a groundswell of support that suggests the Blues may try to make the move a permanent one.