Chelsea are having difficulty finding a quality striker in attack. In that context, The Blues decided to bring Joao Felix to Stamford Bridge under a loan deal until the end of the season from Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea agreed to pay a fee of £10 million to borrow the 23-year-old from Atletico Madrid. In the summer of 2019, the Madrid representative had to spend up to 112 million pounds to buy Felix from Benfica.
Instead of directly scoring, Chelsea hope Felix will help "unlock" the attacking players at Stamford Bridge. In fact, it is difficult to rely on the Portuguese striker's ability to score goals.
Striker vs.
Felix is a regular striker in the two-man formation at Atletico Madrid. Therefore, in theory, this is the optimal position of the Portuguese player.
However, this is not necessarily a role that Felix can play well. The most important indicator is the goal, he only scored 25 goals in 96 matches at Atletico Madrid.
Coach Graham Potter often changes his squad to find a winning formula. In Potter's favorite 3-4-2-1 formation, Felix can take on one of the two attacking positions.
Favorite location
My best position is as a second striker. Playing as a number 10, with a striker in front of me, Felix told The Athletic.
However, this is not true compared to Felix's impressive performance at the 2022 World Cup, when he took on the role of left winger. Although in reality, before that, he often scored in the formation of 2 strikers.
At Chelsea, if Felix takes on the role of "number 10" in the 4-3-3 formation, Mason Mount will be on the bench. This seems impossible, as the English player is a mainstay of The Blues.
In case Reece James recovers, Potter should consider a 3-5-2 formation, allowing Felix to play as a free agent behind Kai Havertz. A few years ago, Felix and Havertz were both potential players, but now there is a big question mark about their ability.
The left wing
In recent seasons, Felix has tended to play left wing at both the national team and club levels. It seems that this is the position where Felix can fully develop his strengths. He is good at both legs, has speed and often violates the penalty area.
The 23-year-old has two assists at the 2022 World Cup in similar scenarios. Therefore, Potter hopes Felix will be able to help Havertz regain his killed instinct.
Although Felix is at his peak, he cannot compare with Eden Hazard, but the two have many similarities. Especially the ability to withstand pressure and revive the surrounding satellites.
In theory, Felix will have to compete fiercely to take the starting position. In terms of form, the Portuguese player is slightly better than Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech. Mount, meanwhile, is irreplaceable.
Most likely, Felix will be given priority to play on the wing, move wide and support the striker to move up.
Former Benfica scout Jean-Claude Abeddou told Sky Sports in 2019: "Felix has a miraculous ability on the pitch."
Therefore, after a period of gloom at Atletico Madrid, there is still hope that Felix will shine at Chelsea.
