Atletico Madrid player Koke discusses Joao Felix’s transfer intentions following his loan to Chelsea
Midfielder Koke believes that Joao Felix, who is on loan to Chelsea, will eventually return to Atletico Madrid. And Koke feels the attacker will benefit from playing time at Stamford Bridge.
After a rocky start, Felix has mostly been a delight since joining Chelsea in January for a cost of £10 million, where he has registered a goal in six games. The Portuguese player, who was dismissed at Fulham on his debut, has subsequently been a crucial part of Chelsea’s current upswing.
After an underwhelming start to the season with Atletico, Felix left the La Liga team while Atletico signed Memphis Depay as his replacement from Barcelona.
Atletico Madrid are third in the table but were eliminated from the Champions League group stage, whereas Chelsea are tenth in the table and will play in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Felix found it tough to adapt to Diego Simeone’s system of play and wanted to get more playing time elsewhere. He is now thriving at Blues, and Chelsea wants to extend his loan but they will have to agree to Madrid’s terms.
Koke, however (h/t Sun), is confident that Felix will return to Spain for the upcoming season. He explained to Mundo Deportivo:
“They made the decision to leave. Joao transferred, and Cunha transferred. They are decisions for each one. Totally respectable. Joao is picking up the rhythm of the games; he is gaining confidence for the coming season to come back here.”
Felix’s decision to return to Atletico Madrid is up to him; as of right now, the Portuguese player is floundering here and making an immediate difference for Chelsea. And if we want to sign the 23-year-old on a permanent loan, we will have to make significant payments.
Felix seems to be liking life in SW6. The Portuguese international himself admitted that he is enjoying playing in our attacking system. If we can hone him as a No. 9, then it could be two birds killed with one stone.
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We do need a proper striker and shouldn’t look to weasel our way out of paying for one. But if Felix can be that man, then there would hardly be any better situation. The fans have also taken a liking to the former SL Benfica star. It just remains to be seen if we can capitalise on his broken relationship with Atletico and convince him to be here beyond the summer.