Joao Felix has hinted that he’d be interested in joining Chelsea on a permanent basis, but the Atletico Madrid loanee is unsure what the future holds for him beyond this season.
An expensive six-month loan deal was struck between Chelsea and Atleti in January to bring Felix to Stamford Bridge for the remainder of the season, and crucially, there is no option for the Blues to make the deal permanent as part of this loan contract.
It means that Chelsea would have to negotiate a traditional transfer with the Spanish side if they did choose to try and keep Felix around beyond this season, and the 23-year-old admitted he does not yet know whether that will be an option.
“I feel very good at Chelsea, I like the club. They don’t have a purchase option, so they’d have to reach an agreement with Atletico,”
“I’ve only been here for a few weeks or so, a month. I’m still getting to know my new surroundings.
“I really like it here, but it’s impossible to say what’ll happen in the future.”
Felix said to AS.
“I had been looking for a change of scenery for a while, because it was difficult to get used to the way we played. I left because I had had enough of trying and not succeeding. I had to leave in January and I think it’s been good for Atletico and for me.
“We don’t know if my time there is over or not. We’ll only know that come the summer. But I don’t regret signing for Atletico.
“Unlike many other people, Miguel [Angel Gil Marin, Atletico CEO] has always shown a lot of confidence in me, he’s always stuck his neck out for me. I have a good relationship with him. I’m grateful to him for letting me leave now, because I needed it. I wasn’t happy anymore. Miguel has always believed in me and I think he still does. He sees me as a player Atletico can pin their hopes on, but we’ll have to see.”
On his future with Atletico Madrid, Felix continued.
Felix had an eventful start to life at Chelsea, shining for an hour in his derby against Fulham before a foolish red card earned him a three-game suspension from which he is finally set to return on Saturday against West Ham.
“These things happen,”
“It’s just like missing a great chance to score or missing a penalty. I got a red card, but these things happen in football. We have to be able to deal with that.
“I didn’t let it get me down. These are things that we have to take in our stride. Getting a red card on your debut is obviously that bit tougher to take, but I kept calm. I was doing well and I’m confident in my ability.”
Felix reflected.
Source: 90Min
