Joao Felix is keen to extend his stay at Chelsea beyond next summer
Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix has expressed his wish to continue playing for Chelsea as his loan spell at Stamford Bridge winds down at the end of the current season.
The 23-year–old believes playing for Chelsea gives him more flexibility than playing for Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. Felix moved to West London in January on an $11 million loan from Atlético Madrid and has fit into Graham Potter’s system like a glove.
His debut against Fulham ended up being a forgotten one because he was sent off for lunging at a Fulham player. Yet, he made a remarkable revival by scoring against West Ham United, as Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw.
Also, it’s thought that Felix and Simeone’s relationship has deteriorated and that the Portuguese player has no plans to rekindle the affair. According to certain media outlets, Chelsea will be permitted to retain the attacker if Atleti can recover £80 million of the $113 million they invested in him in 2019.
The former Benfica star was not hesitant to say that he is having a great time at Chelsea while speaking to Eleven Portugal (h/t Daily Mail) and said:
“The position I play and the way we play at Chelsea is different from Atletico.” Clearly, I have more freedom to put my football skills into practice and to be at my best to help the team.
“I feel good playing here.” It’s just a matter of getting results, and it will be perfect.
Felix’s signing was one of the few that yielded results. He has been given the opportunity to make an impact in the area where his strengths lie.
The playing styles of the two leagues differ much. Atletico employs a defence-first philosophy that largely stymies Felix’s natural attacking instincts. He is far more suited to an attacking lineup as implemented at Chelsea.
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Felix has been able to create space with his sharp passes in the English top division, and if he keeps up this level of play, he may prove to be a great asset. Whether Chelsea can reach an agreement with Atletico to land the player permanently remains to be seen.