Vesper

Joao Felix to Chelsea: The Athletic 500 transfer ratings https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5709986/2024/08/21/joao-felix-to-Chelsea-the-athletic-500-transfer-ratings/ Chelsea have signed Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth £44.5million ($58m). The Portugal forward has agreed a six-year contract with the option of an additional 12 months. Atletico also have a sell-on clause as part of the deal. Our writers — experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance — have come together to rate this summer’s senior Premier League moves in five categories, with each aspect given a score out of 100, to reach a total score out of 500. Hence, The Athletic 500. The ratings are explained in more detail here (note: not all deals will be covered in this series of articles, as there may be a lack of data to support an analysis). Below is our rating for former Chelsea loanee Joao Felix’s return to Stamford Bridge. Tactical fit — 71/100 A look at how the player fits into his new club, using Sentient Sports’ bespoke model, explained by our tactical expert. Joao Felix’s move back to Chelsea has surprised many after being loaned to the club by Atletico Madrid for the second half of the 2022-23 season, especially considering the make-up of the Premier League side’s squad. He primarily plays as a second striker, but can function as a left-winger or false nine, and one of his strengths is his ability to demand the ball at his feet. The 24-year-old spent almost all of last season on loan from Atletico to La Liga rivals Barcelona. Here, in Barca’s 5-0 win against Real Betis last September, he receives a pass from Gavi and drives into space. He carries the ball to the right side, where he could play a pass to Ferran Torres. The Betis players are drawn to the ball, and gather around Joao Felix to try to prevent him progressing any further. But he cleverly plays a pass to the left for striker Robert Lewandowski, who takes a shot on goal. Joao Felix links play and executes short, quick combinations in tight spaces. His connection with team-mates allows transitions and encourages greater fluidity in attacking phases. As shown below, his ball-carrying leads to opportunities — and goals. The 41-cap Portugal international tends to move from left-sided areas into central zones, where there is greater potential for creativity due to the increased space and greater tactical advantages. He is known for his agility and intelligence in finding space, which suits new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca’s emphasis on attacking inside channels. His ability to make runs allows him to drift between defenders, creating mismatches that can exploit gaps in the opposition’s back line. He is able to drop into midfield and create numerical advantages centrally. Despite these positives, the slight Joao Felix’s lack of physicality and inability to impose himself could be a challenge. He averages 1.8 dispossessions and 2.6 miscontrols per 90 minutes. He may struggle when pressed in games, making him susceptible to losing possession. Moreover, there is going to be stiff competition for places within Chelsea’s attacking lineup, and Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer also prefer to operate in similar half-spaces and central areas, which could lead to congestion and limit Joao Felix’s effectiveness and minutes. Gillian Kasirye Season rating: 70/100 Rating the player over last season, using statistics from The Athletic’s data team. Joao Felix endured a middling club season yet again, showing flashes of his potential without sustaining consistency. He scored on his first start for Barcelona in the 5-0 rout of Real Betis mentioned above. Two assists followed in his next five La Liga appearances, and he also scored twice and registered an assist against Belgium’s Antwerp in another 5-0 win in Barca’s opening Champions League group game. Joao Felix went 12 matches without scoring between September and November before crucial goals in back-to-back wins over Porto in the Champions League and parent club Atletico in La Liga. Despite that burst of form, his place in the starting XI no longer seemed secure, while an ankle injury in late January saw him miss four matches. Joao Felix ended the season by scoring three times in Barca’s final 13 league matches (he only started four of them, and none of the last seven) to reach the 10-goal mark, also finishing with six assists in 44 appearances for them across four competitions. His status as a fringe player in the biggest games is made clear by the fact he was on the pitch for just 50 combined minutes across their four matches in the Champions League knockout phase. Anantaajith Raghuraman Gaming rating: 83/100 Rating the player according to Football Manager 2024’s data across both current and potential ability. Joao Felix, according to Football Manager, has the quality to compete for a first-team place at Chelsea immediately and the potential to become their best attacking player. His current ability rating on FM24 is 153, which compares well against the club’s other present options in forward positions. For context, Raheem Sterling, who was left out of the squad for the 2-0 home defeat against Manchester City in Chelsea’s opening game of the Premier League season on Sunday, has a rating of 161, just behind top-rated Nkunku (162). It feels as if the world has been waiting for Joao Felix to realise his prodigious potential since that excellent season at Benfica in 2018-19, but Sports Interactive’s extensive scouting network remains convinced there’s a player in there. Joao Felix has a potential ability rating of 177, which would make him comfortably Chelsea’s best forward and one of the best in the Premier League. Elias Burke Financial value rating: 50/100 A four-category summary of the player’s transfer in financial terms — and whether it makes sense for his new club Market value — 14/25 Joao Felix cost Chelsea £44.5million, which, on the surface, does not appear a ridiculous sum of money for a 24-year-old with 41 caps for Portugal. Still, given his struggles to fulfil his potential since moving from Benfica to Atletico for €126million (£107m; $140m at today’s rates) in summer 2019 as a 19-year-old, it represents a hefty chunk of change. Squad cost — 11/25 Joao Felix is joining a cluttered forward line. Chelsea have already added Wolves’ Pedro Neto and Barcelona prospect Marc Guiu and there does not appear to be an obvious starting role for Joao Felix. The optics of Joao Felix being a makeweight for Conor Gallagher’s move to Atletico, a Cobham academy graduate, will not look good to supporters, who remain unconvinced about Chelsea’s direction under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. Contract sensibility — 13/25 What to do when buying a player who has largely underwhelmed for repeated recent seasons at a string of clubs, including your own? Well, give him a six-year contract with the option of an extra year on top, of course! Few would argue that Joao Felix is not talented but there are questions over whether he can produce the level of performance often enough to justify his transfer fee and salary (though he fits into Chelsea’s wage structure with significant performance-related bonuses). Resale value — 12/25 Since that transfer to Atletico five years ago, Joao Felix’s worth in the market has declined. He proved an awkward fit in the Spanish capital under coach Diego Simeone and on loan at Barca and Chelsea. If he delivers in west London this time, Joao Felix’s worth will skyrocket again, and this signing would go down as a steal. Given the intense competition for places at Chelsea and limited assurances over game time, he might again find himself out of sorts, and with his value declining further. Elias Burke Risk or reward? 45/100 Is there a history of injury or other problems that could crop up and make this deal a bad one in retrospect? Or does the player come with a clean bill of health? Our expert takes a look. There’s a universe where Joao Felix comes to Chelsea and proves an excellent signing. In that universe, he takes over from Nicolas Jackson as Maresca’s starting No 9 and builds a telepathic rapport with Palmer, Nkunku, Neto and Enzo Fernandez, scoring 15 to 20 Premier League goals this season on his way to helping the club to Champions League qualification. That could happen, and he has the quality to become that kind of player, but it’s unrealistic. What seems far more likely is that Joao Felix finds himself in and out of Maresca’s team, competing for game time with several other talented attackers who appear not to have been recruited to boost squad harmony or help the team on the field but for something else. He’s also had several niggling injuries since leaving his homeland five years ago. From his 2019-20 debut season with Atletico, Felix has been sidelined for one game or more on 13 occasions, including a muscle injury in 2022 that kept him out for 10 matches. It appears he has largely put those fitness woes behind him, as he has only suffered one notable injury in the past two years, but his health record will be a minor concern for Chelsea. Elias Burke Overall rating: 319/500

Joao Felix has hard work ahead of him to convince Chelsea fans https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5711444/2024/08/22/joao-felix-has-hard-work-ahead-of-him-to-convince-Chelsea-fans-but-why/ The hard work for Joao Felix begins now. Normally when an established international moves between two big clubs for a lot of money, the transfer is greeted with a lot of fanfare at the receiving end. But Joao Felix’s return to Chelsea, 15 months after the conclusion of a half-season on loan to them from Atletico Madrid, appears to have been predominantly greeted by a combination of indifference and people asking, ‘Why?’ There are a lot of reasons for this. Forget his role in the whole saga of academy graduate Conor Gallagher moving in the opposite direction to Atletico, a drama that has had as many twists and turns as Joao Felix can manage with the ball at his feet on a good day. That has certainly not helped his cause in being greeted universally by all Chelsea fans, but it is not the prime cause for concern. For starters, he was not even Chelsea’s first-choice target out of Atletico’s squad. That honour fell to forward Samu Omorodion. A fee of £34.5million (€40m/$45m) was agreed between the two clubs for 20-year-old Omorodion less than two weeks ago, but the deal collapsed due to problems with the player’s contract. Chelsea then enquired about Joao Felix, making him come across very much as their Plan B, whether that is the case or not. Want to stay up to date with the best news and features as the Premier League gets rolling? Sign up (for free) to The Athletic FC newsletter At £44.5million, they are paying more than Omorodion would have cost. Yet it is also a far smaller sum than was being talked about last year, when Chelsea considered turning Joao Felix’s loan into a permanent deal. They have secured him this time on a better wage package for their accounts too, with his base salary fitting into their current wage structure. There are also significant performance-related bonuses in place to reward him for individual and team targets being met, but no one will begrudge him a larger sum if he triggers them, as everyone benefits in that situation. Being second choice does not seem to bother him. He is just glad to be at Chelsea again no matter what the circumstances. “I’m really happy to be back at Chelsea and I can’t wait to get started,” he said in the club’s official announcement of his transfer. “I can see some familiar faces from the last time I was here, which is always nice. I loved my time here before and I told my friends and family that I’d love to return to the Premier League one day. To do that with Chelsea is a great feeling and I’m excited to be back.” He joins Chelsea having spent last season on loan at Barcelona, where inconsistency — a label the 24-year-old has struggled to shake off throughout his career — was a problem. A return of 10 goals and six assists from 44 appearances across all competitions (with only 24 of them being starts, and just five of the latter coming in 2024) is definitely respectable, but it’s not enough to win over the doubters despite the odd flash of brilliance. Then there is the argument that, in terms of Chelsea’s attack, the 41-cap Portugal international does not fulfil their greatest need: a centre-forward to provide serious competition for Nicolas Jackson. The demand from many of Chelsea’s followers has been to see Napoli striker Victor Osimhen paraded in a royal blue shirt this summer, not another addition to the squad who does their best work playing off the main front man. Chelsea sources however, kept anonymous to protect relationships, believe his arrival is a must because of the diminishing returns attacking players such as Raheem Sterling have been providing. It is no coincidence Sterling’s omission from the squad for the opening match of the club’s 2024-25 Premier League season against Manchester City on Sunday has been sandwiched by the purchases of Pedro Neto and now Joao Felix. But this logic will not appease those craving Osimhen or another centre-forward. The possibility of the 25-year-old Nigeria international joining before the deadline next week is remote as things stand. Chelsea are only willing to consider a loan, something which does not appeal to either Napoli or Osimhen himself. Chelsea’s priority over the coming days is also trying to get players out before the summer transfer shuts next Friday, not in. Joao Felix can be forgiven if he is getting a sense of deja vu at the club’s base in Cobham, in the commuter belt south of London. When he was here on loan between January and May last year, Chelsea had a bloated squad with several players not taking part in the main training sessions as they were deemed surplus to requirements. Many among their similarly-extensive ranks are experiencing the same fate now. One of the reasons why new head coach Enzo Maresca is being given plenty of options to choose from, including Joao Felix, is that Chelsea want a large squad to cope with what could be the longest fixture list in the club’s history. Chelsea’s current record for the number of matches played in a single season is 69 (including the Community Shield) set in 2012-13. There is a possibility of that being surpassed in 2024-25, dependent on going deep in all the cup competitions, with their involvement in the Conference League, UEFA’s third-tier club competition, and the expanded Club World Cup next June and July. But senior players do not like being rotated regularly — they want to be one of the first names on the team sheet almost all the time. So who is Joao Felix going to get games instead of? Even with Sterling now seemingly persona non grata, Maresca has Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu, Jackson and Neto to choose from in advanced roles. Even midfielder Enzo Fernandez operated further forward, in more of a No 10 role, against City at the weekend. Chelsea do regard Joao Felix as a great fit for Maresca’s way of playing, but you would not want to see him operating out wide in the same way Nkunku struggled on their left flank during Sunday’s match. The man Atletico paid Benfica €126million (£107m/$140m at current exchange rates) for as a teenager in 2019 is much more effective operating inside, closer to the penalty area, making things tick from there. Yet that is the kind of position which really should be reserved, first and foremost, for Palmer. In saying that, Joao Felix’s presence could help take some of the pressure off Palmer’s shoulders to be the team’s main creative force, after he was involved in 40 of the 103 Chelsea scored last season (25 goals, 15 assists) following a summer move from City. The England international, 22, will undoubtedly be more of a marked man this time after putting up such numbers and it would be understandable if he does not match those extraordinary returns. If they are played together, Joao Felix may benefit from getting more space to work in than Palmer. His presence also gives Maresca the option to rest the Englishman for some games. Joao Felix has been signed too late to make his debut against Servette in the Conference League qualifiers but should be in contention to face Wolves on Sunday and Maresca has no doubts he will be a great asset to have. Maresca explained: “First of all because he’s a good player. He is a talent, the club already know him from two years ago. I think the good thing about Joao is he can play in different positions with us. He can play inside, he can play as a No 9, he can play outside.” Perhaps the biggest surprise over the general lack of enthusiasm is how Joao Felix’s previous spell at Chelsea is viewed. A return of four goals and no assists from 20 appearances does raise question marks over the amount of end-product, but that tally would have read a lot better had he not hit the post or crossbar on four occasions. He certainly did not look like a bad player. And while some critics regard Chelsea as a bit of a mess now, this is nothing compared with the demoralised group Joao Felix played alongside then. Many of those players were just counting down the days until the end of the season so they could leave. GO DEEPER Joao Felix to Chelsea: The Athletic 500 transfer ratings An indication of the massive turnover of players that has taken place at the club in a short time is signified by the fact only two of the first XI and seven of the 20-man squad (not including Gallagher) named for Joao Felix’s debut against Fulham on January 12 last year are still at Stamford Bridge now. Of those seven, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka and David Datro Fofana are all now up for sale too, while Marcus Bettinelli is the third choice ’keeper and made his sole senior appearance for the club in January 2022. Only Marc Cucurella and Benoit Badiashile, both substitutes that night at Craven Cottage, are still part of the long-term plans. Joao Felix played just 10 times before Graham Potter was sacked as the manager and replaced on an interim basis by Bruno Saltor (one game) and then Frank Lampard (the season’s remaining 11 matches). In other words, the circumstances could not have been much harder for a footballer to perform well in. Yet the Portuguese was often one of the only individuals in the Chelsea side worth watching every week. During that unforgettable debut against Fulham, where he ran the show for 58 minutes before getting a straight red card for a terrible challenge on Kenny Tete, the crowd in the away end chanted his name to celebrate his arrival. A goal against West Ham on his first appearance back after serving the ensuing three-game ban further endeared him to the Chelsea following, but as the club’s season petered out, so did the fans’ apparent enthusiasm for him. He got tarred with the same brush as some of his more underperforming team-mates, and perhaps that is why he has so many people to convince now he has joined permanently. It was something he’d wanted to happen last summer only for Atletico’s club president Enrique Cerezo to say the possibility was blocked by Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea’s then newly-appointed, and now former, head coach. “The news that we received yesterday is that the new manager doesn’t count on him at Chelsea,” he said. It is clearly a different story for Pochettino’s replacement Maresca. Both player and coach have a point to prove to a sceptical fanbase. Perhaps they will end up helping each other do so. GO DEEPER Gallagher and Joao Felix moves speak for Chelsea's attraction to mystery boxes

Later June and July 2025 are not part of the already concluded 2024/2025 season. The EPL is over, the CL is over. The next transfer window is open. Contracts end well before the business end of the new format. New players will be added to teams, and some will be gone. The CL winners for last season, (2023/2024) Real Madrid, do NOT have a World Club Championship to play in come December 2025.

That is next season. New format. The December-played old format is gone.

There is no FIFACWC this season. Citeh retain the badge.

Good, get him off Malmö Such a depressing year so far in Sweden in our Allsvenskan for me as an AIK girl. The 3 teams I hate are First, Second, and Third 1. Malmö 2. Hammarby (I live in their poshest area of support) 3. Djurgården (who is our most bitter rival, the derby is called Tvillingderbyt aka The Derby of the Twins) We are only 1 point above being in the bottom half. 😞

It sounds like they are. Which makes it a bit bonkers.

I have been against buying him for ages. No end product. Tricks and flicks TikTok FC luxury player, plus a bad attitude

I was ok with Duran long before that goal I posted proof of that already I pushed hard for J David, but the board doesn't rate him at all I truly rated only a few enough to buy (and were remotely available): Lautaro (before he renewed, now he is off the board for good) Julián Alvarez (Atletico Madrid now) Victor Osimhen Dušan Vlahović Jonathan David Ollie Watkins Mathys Tel (renewed with Bayern) Jhon Durán Joshua Zirkzee (Manure pull) I am a bit wobbly on Toney and Benjamin Šeško (Šeško of course took himself off the table) and Viktor Gyökeres (for the crazy price demanded) Isak is too expensive for the risk of injuries he presents ATM Need to see one more season (this one) before I hop on the Loïs Openda train. That's it atm......

Crystal Palace bid for Wolfsburg’s Lacroix as Andersen heads to Fulham Palace offer £12m plus add-ons for centre-back Fulham’s £30m bid for Anderson is accepted https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/aug/21/crystal-palace-lacroix-andersen-fulham-transfers

by far the one I would go for: first choice (and is right footed): second choice (and is a left footed player) as these are all gone (strikethrough), soon gone, or not available or long term injured or far too expensive: Ronald Araujo long term injured, too expensive Alessandro Bastoni too expensive, will not move (perhaps ever until he is in his 30s) Bremer too expensive, will not move this late Leny Yoro Marquinhos will not move here perhaps, age is an issue António Silva too expensive (€100m) Giorgio Scalvini long term injured Gonçalo Inácio soon gone from the board Riccardo Calafiori Jarrad Branthwaite too expensive for the quality IMHO Piero Hincapié soon gone from the board Robin Le Normand Willian Pacho Jean-Clair Todibo Alessandro Buongiorno Pau Cubarsí won't come Perr Schuurs Taylor Harwood-Bellis other options Ousmane Diomande (although very expensive and I am not yet sold on him 100 per cent) Castello Lukeba Murillo Mohamed Simakan Jorrel Hato (youth) Milan Skriniar (probably too old for this ownership) Malick Thiaw Evan Ndicka Kevin Danso Jarell Quansah (cannot see Pool selling him to us, though) Isak Hien Yarek Gasiorowski (youth)

if that goes down surely we move for Jhon Duran 🤩

not really No UEFA Super Cup No Charity Shield No FIFA World Club Cup plus we do not know how deep we go in The League Cup The FA Cup or The UEFA Conference Leage

hoarding

Can I get paid £85m for 5 years and keep crying 'poor me'???? I think not.

Raheem Sterling keen to leave Chelsea in permanent transfer https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5712124/2024/08/21/raheem-sterling-Chelsea-transfer-permanent/ Raheem Sterling has expressed a preference to leave Chelsea on a permanent basis after it became clear that at present he is not part of the club’s plans going forward. The 29-year-old trained away from the club on Tuesday and Wednesday after being given a few days off while both parties consider options for a departure from Stamford Bridge. Talks are planned in the coming days, with Chelsea working with the winger to find a full-time solution, which he would currently prefer to a loan switch. Sterling was unhappy at being left out of Enzo Maresca’s matchday squad for Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Manchester City. A statement on behalf of the former City and Liverpool attacker released before kick-off at Stamford Bridge said he was seeking “clarity” over his future at the club. Sterling made 43 appearances in all competitions last term under former head coach Mauricio Pochettino before Maresca bolstered his attacking options with the signings of Joao Felix, Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Marc Guiu this summer. “I am not saying Raheem is not a good player, but I prefer different kinds of wingers,” Maresca said on Wednesday. “They are training apart,” he added of Sterling and Ben Chilwell, who is also part of the group working away from the first-team squad. “The situation with both of them is quite clear. We have a big squad and it’s impossible to give all of them minutes. If they are looking for minutes it’s better for them to leave. I try to be honest.” Sterling left City for Chelsea in 2022 for a fee in the region of £47.5 million. He has three years remaining on his current deal having signed a five-year contract. He won four Premier League titles and one FA Cup at the Etihad having joined the club from Liverpool in 2015. GO DEEPER Raheem Sterling... fight or flight?

Maresca on Chelsea squad: 'It is not a mess that it looks like from outside' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5714238/2024/08/21/Chelsea-squad-enzo-maresca/ Enzo Maresca insists Chelsea are not in a mess over the size of their squad and denied he has been brutal over the axing of senior players like Raheem Sterling. Chelsea have come under a lot of negative scrutiny over the amount of players they have on the books. Several first-team players, including Ben Chilwell and Sterling, have been ordered to train away from the main group as the club try to move them on and cut down the number of senior pros. Maresca says the situation is not a negative distraction because he has only been working with the players he prefers since the club returned from their pre-season tour of the United States earlier this month. “It is already the first XI we want, the squad we want,” the Italian said. “I am not working with 42 players, that is something (being talked about) from outside. “I am working with 21 players. Today’s (training) session was with 20 players, yesterday was 21. The other 15-20 are training apart. I don’t see them. It is not a mess that it looks from outside. “I am here to take decisions and to think who is the best for us. I am not thinking about how many years (are left) on their contracts, it is not my job. If I don’t like them, they can have 20-year contracts, I don’t care. I am just here to make the right decision for the team, no more than that. “It is the job of all managers to keep players happy. This is something almost impossible because they train every day to get minutes and only 11 are going to play (from the start). “I try to be honest with all of them. In this moment the noise is more outside because I am working with 21-22 players since we came back from USA.” GO DEEPER Gallagher and Joao Felix moves speak for Chelsea's attraction to mystery boxes Sterling and Chilwell were among the 26-27 players Maresca included on Chelsea’s pre-season tour to America but were told by the head coach before the club’s opening Premier League game against Manchester City that they would be better off joining another club if they want to get minutes. Defender Trevoh Chalobah was not even taken on the trip. Pressed on whether his behaviour could be considered brutal, he replied: “I don’t think so. I just try to be honest. “I spoke with Raheem before the Manchester City game. I said that he is going to struggle to get minutes with us and this is the reason why he was out of the squad. And with Chilly, I said that he is a lovely guy but he is going to struggle because his position with us, he is going to struggle. If you define this as brutal, it is up to you. For me it is not (being) brutal, it is just honest.”

IF he stays healthy and that is a massive IF

window display to sell him

GOOD!!!!

Why Joao Felix To Chelsea SHOULDN'T Work... But Does

João Félix: “Chelsea is a chance for me to find a home”. “After two loans, Chelsea and Barca, I needed to stay permanently in one place. There is no better place for me to be than Chelsea”. “I see a perfect place to shine”.

3 2 very unfair

and also a 2nd yellow red wow

pen for YB dodgy call came off his thigh first