According to reports, Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix was ‘advised’ to sign for Arsenal in January prior to his move to rivals Chelsea.
Felix endured a difficult season in 2022/23. He started the campaign down the pecking order at Atletico Madrid following his fallout with Diego Simeone.
The attacker shone for Portugal at last year’s World Cup and this led to him joining Chelsea during the January transfer window.
He was heavily linked with Arsenal and Man Utd in January but he ended up opting to join Chelsea on loan until the summer. The Blues paid a loan fee of around €11m to secure his services.
Felix showed rare flashes of promise during his spell at Chelsea as he scored four goals in his 20 appearances overall. But he was sent off in his Premier League debut against Fulham and he never fully recovered from this setback.
Spanish outlet AS (via Sport Witness) are reporting Felix is currently ‘suffering a nightmare’ as he is not wanted by Atletico Madrid and he is struggling to find a new club.
The report claims Felix was ‘advised by his entourage’ to join Arsenal in January as they felt that ‘a move to the Emirates would be wiser as Mikel Arteta’s style of play was a better fit for the Portuguese’.
Felix ultimately ‘rejected’ this advice but in hindsight, he may have wished he joined Arsenal given how their season went compared to Chelsea.
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Before the end of last season, Gary Neville praised Felix after he scored a consolation in Chelsea’s 4-1 loss to Man Utd.
“He [Felix] is a proper player, just the way he moves with the ball it looks different. He is so in control, class, real class, he has options in front of him but thinks no, I am going to go on my own, really good finish.
“They [Chelsea] have signed everybody but the one player they should have an option on they haven’t got.”
Ex-Premier League defender Alan Hutton reckons a move to Newcastle would be an “upgrade” on Chelsea.
“I thought he was one of the sparks for Chelsea. He looked really dangerous even in his first few games,” Hutton told Football Insider.
“It has been difficult, you think of the pressure surrounding Chelsea, the managerial situation, the money that has been spent.
“He is obviously enjoying himself in the Premier League, Newcastle are an up and coming team, they are in the Champions League next season so he might see that as an upgrade at this moment in time.
“Obviously Chelsea will come back next season but it does not look like his future is at Atletico.“
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