“We are not participating in the race to sign Joao Felix because it is difficult to convince such a good player.
I really appreciate Joao Felix's talent. He can score goals, create assists, and drop deep to build play and create mutations in any space. He is simply extremely special" - Unai Emery shared in March 2023.
At that time, Aston Villa had just risen from the bottom of the rankings after Emery took charge. The Villa Park home team really wants to recruit more rookies to serve the Spanish strategist's plans. The captain of The Villains highly appreciated Joao Felix, but the team's leadership could not meet the financial requirements and Champions League ticket as Felix wanted.
Instead, the Portuguese star chose Chelsea and joined on loan for 6 months. However, Felix did not have a smooth time at Stamford Bridge and was returned to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2023.
Since the 52-year-old coach led Aston Villa, the Birmingham team has made significant progress. They won a ticket to the Conference League after finishing in 7th place in the 2022-2023 season. Unai Emery's team did even better next year's campaign, finishing in the top 4 and playing in the Champions League next season.
With Moussa Diaby being sold to Al-Ittihad for more than 50 million pounds, the Villa Park team has an additional large amount of money. Now, Unai Emery has the ability to recruit Joao Felix or another quality player to support Ollie Watkins.
Joao Felix considers the role of "number 10" to be his best position, although in recent years he has played as a "false number 9" or on the wings. Meanwhile, captain Unai Emery is known for his Clear assignment for each position in the squad. In particular, the Spanish coach once described in detail an attacking midfielder he always wanted, Felix is exactly that type.
Joao Felix went through relatively difficult seasons after leaving Benfica in the summer of 2019. The 24-year-old star was considered one of the most promising talents in European football at that time and was recruited by Atletico Madrid. at a price of 113 million pounds.
However, Felix does not seem to fit Diego Simeone's philosophy. Even when he joined Barcalena last summer on loan, the decision was driven by president Joan Laporta, not head coach Xavi.
In the summer of 2024, Atletico is said to want to sell Joao Felix rather than continue to loan the striker born in 1999. The Madrid team hopes to recoup the money spent recruiting Felix. It seems that the Los Colchoneros leadership also realized the style mismatch between him and Simeone.
“Felix is a player with outstanding talent but it is very difficult for us to start over. Whatever happens well for him, we will be happy because it's good for both of us" - Diego Simeone shared in November 2023.
In the Premier League, Aston Villa's salary-to-revenue ratio in 2022 and 2023 ranks 4th (89%). However, revenues from the Champions League and player sales will facilitate Villa's salary and transfer budget. A few not-so-important players like Lucas Digne, Alex Moreno or Jhon Duran will be sold to continue freeing up salary funds. This will help the home team at Villa Park recruit a classy star in the 2024 summer market.
In the case of Duran, the Colombian star was highly appreciated for his talent, but had attitude problems and emotional breakdowns. In fact, Joao Felix is in a similar situation to Duran. They all have personality and talent but are not suitable for their team.
Unai Emery 's work with developing "number 10s" at Villa is clear. In January 2024, The Villains recruited Morgan Rogers and he showed progress as an attacking midfielder. Meanwhile, Jacob Ramsey, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans have all been restructured and tweaked to operate between the lines.
