Why Joao Felix’s transfer to Chelsea is not as crazy is it sounds and here are three reasons why it makes sense
CHELSEA have added Joao Felix to their already bloated squad for £42.6 million.
The former winner of the Golden Boy award is the tenth signing of the summer, joining the likes of international team-mate Pedro Neto who joined from Wolves for £54m, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a £30m recruit from Leicester.
To many observers, the arrival of Joao Felix is another example of the muddled thinking of Chelsea’s recruitment team.
Chelsea already have Pedro Neto, Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk who can play as wide attackers.
With so many options, players are going to have to leave or sit on the bench.
That’s without the young options like academy starlet Tyrique George and Brazilian boy wonder Angelo Gabriel.
The 24-year-old Portuguese winger scored four goals in 20 games on loan for Chelsea two seasons ago – not exactly world-beating form.
However this is not to say though that the signing of Joao Felix is a bad deal in itself.
He is an extremely talented and intelligent attacking player who will bring an element of threat to the Chelsea attack whether he is positioned wide or central areas.
Here are the key areas where Joao Felix can have an impact for Chelsea under their new coach Enzo Maresca.
An eye for space
One of Joao Felix’s biggest strengths is his ability to find pockets of space in the opposition half to receive the ball.
He has played in various positions throughout his career having played as a central striker, a No10 or a left-sided winger.
But no matter what position he plays, he always seems to find a way to drop into pockets of space between the opposition midfield and defence in order to receive the ball.
The issue when considering whether the signing of Joao Felix by Chelsea is a good idea or not is that we don’t know where the club, or Maresca,are planning to play him.
We believe that he is most likely to play from the left-side of the attack and in this role under Maresca his movement and positioning may help to unlock teams.
When Marcesca was in charge of Leicester in the Championship last season his side were very structured and careful in the way that they built their attack.
Where they could struggle at times, however, was in breaking down opposition sides who sat back in a deeper and more compact defensive block.
The addition of a player like Joao Felix could well help Marcesca to find an immediate solution for this.
Having a player like Joao Felix who can drop into spaces behind the striker for Chelsea will also make it easier for the midfielders, especially the likes of Enzo Fernandez, to play more progressively with more forward passes into the final third and into areas from which Chelsea can beat the opposition.
If Chelsea are too rigid and structured in the way that they attack then it becomes harder for them to break teams down and create chances.
Having a player with the intelligent movement that Joao Felix shows could be key for Chelsea going forward this season.
Creative passes
When Joao Felix first came through at first-team level at Benfica, and even when he initially moved to Atletico Madrid, he was seen as an attacking talent who thrived on his ability to drive in possession and beat opposition players in 1v1 situations.
But now he has more strings to his bow.
As his career has progressed he has developed his creative side and his ability to break lines and create opportunities for teammates in the final third with his passing profile.
We have already touched upon the fact that Joao Felix will add value for Chelsea with his movement and ability to receive and take positions between the lines.
While this, in itself, will help Chelsea to progress the ball and play forward, what will be even more important is Joao Felix’s ablity with the ball after he has received it.
The Portuguese international’s ability on the ball in terms of passing, breaking lines and creating chances for teammates is actually very underrated.
As his career has progressed he has developed his ability to find these passes as opposed to just taking possession of the ball and looking to outplay defenders in 1v1 situations very quickly.
Almost all of the other options that Chelsea currently have around their first-team squad for wide attackers are better suited as either wide attackers who thrive in 1v1 situations.
Players like Mudryk, Madueke or Pedro Neto or players who are better as second forwards from the wide position, like Nkunku.
Having a wide player with the creative ability of Joao Felix when he receives the ball in these positions will bring value to this Chelsea team.
His ability to play the last pass through when combined with his ability to dribble and carry the ball make him a versatile attacking threat in the final third.
As a more creative option in the final third you can clearly see the value for Chelsea in signing a player like Joao Felix to add to their attack.
Goalscoring threat
Joao Felix also brings threat with his ability to finish chances.
While he is not a player who is ever going to score 30 goals in a season for you he can finish with 10-15 goals across a league campaign.
His movement from wide into space and then into the opposition area makes him difficult to pick up properly for opposition defences.
When he does break into the area and when he does get a chance in front of goal he has always been a strong finisher with good ball striking technique to beat the goalkeeper from a wide variety of positions.
Chelsea will be hoping that he can bring this ability in front of goal to their attacking group from wide areas – in a similar way to Cole Palmer on the opposite side.
The Portuguese star shows good movement when the ball is elsewhere, centrally or on the opposite side, and he will typically find good angles to attack space in the opposition area and create situations from which he can score.
Last season we saw Chelsea largely struggle for goals from their forward players.
This meant that their wide attacking players had to step up to contribute in this way.
Joao Felix is the kind of attacking winger who can add goals and assists from out on the left-side or even if he is positioned behind the striker.
Conclusion
While it often does not work when a club brings a player back for a second spell there is value in this deal for Chelsea.
Critics will be hammering Chelsea once again, saying they don’t need Felix – but, they will be adding a proven player who has a slightly different profile from their other wide attackers.
This will be especially helpful for Maresca and his tactical system at the club.