There was a point in Chelsea’s clash with Fulham on Thursday where it appeared the deal for João Félix was a masterstroke.
The Portuguese forward was lively, creating chances and generally showing exactly what the Blues have been missing up front for some time.
Then he lunged in for a two footed challenge in the 58th minute, earned himself a straight red card and everything went downhill.
That red, and subsequent three game suspension, will cost Chelsea dearly as not only will they be without their new signing it’ll also cost them millions given how expensive his loan deal is.
The ridicule has been quick to arrive and AS dive into that today, dissecting the transfer as an ‘operation failure’ from those in charge at Stamford Bridge.
They say that Atlético have ‘played with Premiership anxiety’ again with the deal for Félix, taking advantage to secure a favourable deal from a place which has become a ‘magnificent source of revenue’ for them.
The €11m Chelsea are paying for the forward ‘is a gift from heaven’ and an indication of a club, Chelsea in this case, ‘that is drifting’.
The newspaper insists that Félix is not worth the figure and the deal is just another example of the ‘nonsense’ and ‘doubts’ that are ruling the Blues at present.
The feeling is that Chelsea have a lot of money and little judgement, a ‘highly dangerous cocktail’ for a football club. The deal for Félix is the clearest example of it.
It’s something Atlético have taken advantage of, getting rid of a player the manager doesn’t want and who has only impressed in a ‘handful’ of games since arriving at the Wanda Metropolitano for a huge fee.
His disastrous debut has only helped to further confirm they’ve got the better deal and taken advantage of Chelsea to boot.
