What does Joao Felix's future hold as his loan at Chelsea comes to an end?
Even though Chelsea played well to defeat Bournemouth and earn their first victory under interim manager Frank Lampard, the situation for the Blues' season as a whole remained unchanged. Chelsea have already officially avoided relegation, but the fact that this was only possible with four games left in the season says a lot about how poorly their campaign went.
For the Stamford Bridge team, this summer will be crucial as they work to atone for all of the mistakes they committed throughout the 2022–23 season. Regardless of who takes over as permanent manager in Lampard's stead, they will inherit a group that needs to be completely rebuilt. Mauricio Pochettino is currently the front-runner to succeed.
Several players will undoubtedly be leaving the game. Mason Mount, a Chelsea player who is entering the final year of his contract, is drawing interest from Liverpool and Manchester United and may be traded. Another asset Chelsea might use to allay Financial Fair Play (FFP) concerns is Conor Gallagher.
Edouard Mendy, N'Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are just a few of the players whose futures are in doubt. Chelsea also needs to decide what to do with Joao Felix, an Atletico Madrid attacker who is currently on loan but will return to his original team at the end of the current campaign.
Since his transfer to Chelsea in January, Felix has started for the first team. In 13 PremierPINC +0.2% League games, the Portuguese player has appeared, and he has regularly served as the major nerve center for the Blues' attacking performance in the last third of the field. Felix has only scored three goals in the league, but he has seemed active.
Felix cost Chelsea £11 million to initially sign him on a loan, and the club would have to cough up over £88 million to sign him permanently. The 23-year-old would then rank among the most expensive players in Premier League history, but Chelsea require coherence, and Felix provides that as a versatile and technically proficient player.
However, it may be argued that Chelsea require a more conventional number nine. They already have a player in Romelu Lukaku who fits this description; the Belgian is currently on loan at Inter. Could Lukaku help Chelsea as they try to restructure their roster for the 2023–24 season?
The forward may find himself in a difficult situation if Chelsea doesn't sign Felix on a long-term basis given how much Atletico Madrid have developed since he left in January. The 23-year-old may find himself in a difficult situation, torn between a parent club that no longer wants him and a loan suitor that won't meet his demands.
