Chelsea: the infernal decline of João Félix

Jorge Mendes is one of the most powerful agents in the world of football. But he is also sometimes a magician. This summer, the Portuguese used his strong network to try to find a base for João Félix. Something he didn’t imagine a few years ago when the young footballer exploded in the Benfica jersey. After a record €126m transfer to Atlético de Madrid, the Portuguese international has had his ups and downs. And for the past few months, he’s been having trouble. Despite everything, he was able to count on his agent to find new challenges for him at Chelsea (6-month loan in January 2023) and at FC Barcelona (one-season loan in 2023-24).

An unexpected return to Chelsea

While he hoped to stay in Catalonia, João Félix (10 goals, 6 assists, 44 matches) did not really convince management, which had to tighten its belt. Sent back to Madrid, he participated in the Colchoneros pre-season. Diego Simeone, with whom his relations are rather fresh, had nevertheless opened the door to him. “He is an Atlético de Madrid footballer and while he is here we will judge him based on his work, as we do with all members of the team”he admitted after a friendly match this summer. But the supporters no longer wanted the Portuguese. Some had also insulted him during a preparation match against Getafe, where he scored on August 4.

Linked to a few clubs, including Benfica and Aston Villa, the 24-year-old footballer finally returned to Chelsea for €52 million. Which was surprising since the Blues had enough offensive players and his six-month loan there had not really made an impression (4 goals in 20 matches). Despite this, the player born in 99 was determined as he confided when he arrived at the Blues site.“It’s a chance for me to find a house. After two loans, at Chelsea and Barça, I needed to stay in the same place permanently. There is no better place for me than Chelsea. I see a perfect place to shine. There were things that made me want to come back: the project, the club, the championship, the supporters, the time I spent here and which I loved.

João Félix is ​​not a starter

He added: “I am better prepared for the Premier League. I feel like my best years are ahead of me. I don’t doubt it. The best years are yet to come. And this year is going to be a good year, because now I’m here permanently and I can enjoy it.” After the words, fans expected actions from the striker under contract until 2031. For the moment, the native of Viseu has participated in 7 matches in all competitions (283 minutes played in total). In detail, it was used 5 times in the Premier League, 1 time in the Europa Conference League and 1 time in the Carabao Cup. But it should be noted that he only started in cups.

He did not start any of the 5 league matches in which he took part (117 minutes played in the PL). Regarding his stat line, he scored 1 goal (against Wolverhampton in the Premier League) and he provided 1 assist (against Barrow in the Carabao Cup). A poor record for the moment. And that didn’t get any better on Sunday afternoon, since he didn’t even come into play against Liverpool (2-1 defeat). This is the second time this season that Enzo Maresca has acted in this way with him since he left him on the bench for the entire match against Brighton on September 28 (4-2 victory). If this has not necessarily been commented on in England or Portugal, elsewhere, the treatment of the player has caused ink to flow. This is the case in Spain, where he played for Atlético and Barça.

Difficulties in club and selection

A.S.who titled “João Félix is ​​of no use to anyone“, wrote about him: “the Portuguese did not start in the Premier League and did not play a single minute against Liverpool at Anfield. He lives in the shadow of Cole Palmer at Chelsea (…) João Félix is ​​not Enzo Maresca’s plan B, nor even C or D, and Chelsea’s defeat at Anfield (2-1) has him again once demonstrated. The Liverpool match was the first big match that the London team played with the Portuguese striker in the blue team and he spent the entire 90 minutes on the bench (…) The Chelsea coach made calling on different players to freshen up the attacking front, but João Félix was never an option. Besides the incumbents Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku are Enzo Maresca’s preferred alternatives. And João Félix’s big “problem” is called Cole Palmer. »

In Catalonia, Sport is not more optimistic. “The fall of Joao Félix seems to have no end. It’s going down. Nobody trusts him. Neither his coach, Enzo Maresca, nor that of Portugal, Robert Martínez. The Catalan barely gave him a chance during the two Nations League matches that the Portuguese played during the last international break. He was a substitute and did not participate in the Portuguese victory against Poland (1-3). He played barely 2 minutes against Scotland (0-0). The footballer seems to have fallen into apathy, without any desire to justify himself, and is no match for the footballer who amazed Benfica. And its value is plummeting. It went from 100 million to 30 million euros and it continues to fall.

A casting error?

Sportwho explains that he is only standing out in cups this season, continues: “in London, the city where he already lived, it didn’t take off. Enzo Maresca does not trust him and his stay on the pitch is completely residual. A rotation almost forced by the accumulation of matches in a hellish schedule. Added to all this is that in front of him, he has Cole Palmer, one of the fashionable players at European level, and Jadon Sancho, who seems to be returning to the level he displayed during his time at Dortmund. In France, Salim Baungally, a journalist specializing in English football, is rather worried about him, as he told us. “When he arrives in this bloated Chelsea squad, obviously, we know that there are a lot of attackers with a level far from being laughable. The problem is that Maresca has, little by little, drawn up its attack line with almost two players, one of whom is absolutely unbeatable, namely Cole Palmer. The question doesn’t even arise.”

He continues: “the second is Nicolas Jackson. Afterwards it rotates between several players including Pedro Neto, who is an important player in the rotation or even more. Which means that João Félix can no longer be a starter today. He won’t be as long as Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson are there. He plays a little in the Conference League or the Carabao Cup. Today, I don’t see how he can play in the league sustainably. I am very pessimistic about him. There are a lot of casting errors in Chelsea. As soon as he arrived, I didn’t understand the point of having João Félix. He’s not a bad player. But he doesn’t match Maresca’s way of playing.” Jorge Mendes may still have to work miracles if his foal’s situation continues…