Joao Felix came on as a late sub for Chelsea again against Newcastle on Sunday, reprising his usual role in recent weeks. That should be his last game for the club given his loan from Atletico Madrid has now come to an end. But there are plenty of whispers his stay could be extended, and the player has made clear how happy he is in London.
Would it be good move? Lots of Chelsea fans have quickly grown frustrated with him in his short time here. For all his silky feet and nice moves, there’s a sense that the end product and the hard work aren’t always there when they should be.
Perhaps it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time. We needed grafters and workers to put in a shift, while he’s more of the cherry on top of a cake (which in this case hasn’t actually been baked yet). Perhaps he will fare better next year, assuming Mauricio Pochettino is able to make something of this group.
The stats are also more positive for him than you might expect. He has an excellent goals per minute ratio, the best in the squad, and he also ranks top for expected goals, showing he’s not afraid to shoot – as we saw on Sunday when he managed two good efforts in his short cameo.
Right now, we honestly would struggle to predict whether he’s here or not next season.
Felix does many things well and there’s no question that he’s a talent, but that doesn’t mean his a good buy. For example, if reports and stats are to be trusted, we’re going to get a substantially better buy with Nkunku. Both players are best deployed as a second striker, but Nkunku’s creation of chances (expected goals and assists) are better per 90 than Felix, AND his conversion to actual goals and assists per 90 is higher. Plus, it appears we’ll get him for cheaper. So, why splash even more cash on a redundant player? As we’ve learned the hard way this year, it makes no sense have too of the same type player (e.g., Havertz and Felix) in the team because you wind up playing them out of position and you’re essentially paying premium money (for a Ferrari) to get the performance of a Honda. Unless Athletico are willing to drop their price significantly, I say let Felix go and focus on bringing in a true #9 to pair with Nkunku.
J Felix is superb,, hes got the skills and the control, pass and shot,, he is a big attacking threat,, am sure he will do better with a natural no-9
Those stats wherever they originated are misleading and inaccurate. Try to obtain stats from elsewhere rather that the source referred too in this correspondence.