2023-04-18 08:00:59
last christmas Diego Pablo Simeone managed to dismantle the ‘Comando Mendes’ from his locker room, the group of Luso-Brazilian players that the agent Jorge Mendes, with the complicity of Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, had placed at Atlético. Joao Félix, Mateus Cunha and Felipe ceased to be players of the rojiblanca squad. The last two went to Wolverhampton, in which Mendes does and undoes, and to Nottingham Forest, while Joao Félix, what the English call a ‘big fish’ in the market, was ‘placed’ at Chelsea by American billionaire Todd Boehly, the team that this Tuesday will try to overcome their Champions League tie against Real Madrid.
Boehly’s penultimate card
Joao landed in London in an eclectic squad that mixes players from various projects, requests from coaches who are no longer there and the stickers that their new owner has just bought. Since then the Portuguese has had three coaches, played 13 games and scored just two goals. While that happens, Atlético has not lost a single game since he left and threatens to give Real Madrid the ‘sorpasso’ in second position in the League with a majestic Griezmann who has freed himself after the departure of the Portuguese.
Felix’s arrival in London was accompanied by good omens. Chelsea’s interest in negotiating his final transfer quickly leaked. Rumor that expanded the machinery of Mendes, who is handled with as much solvency in the newsrooms of the media as in the offices of the clubs. But The reality is that Joao has few options to stay at Stamford Bridge for several reasons. The first is economic. The player cost Atlético 126 million and the rojiblanco club intends to recover as much money as possible with his departure, pricing his transfer at 100 million. Here in London they warn that they will not pay in any case more than 80 million, given the disbursement that the club has already made, exceeding 600 ‘kilos’. The Londoners, in the best of cases, would study including one of their discards in a possible operation: Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly o Edouard Mendy. Option that, for now, Atlético is not considering
From Joao Félix to Joao ‘Greedy’
The second reason is the detachment towards the Portuguese midfielder from his new fans and the dressing room. The arrival of Joao Félix has condemned Mason Mount, one of the few homegrown players in the team, to the substitution and idol of the stands, who has not renewed and it is assumed that he will end up leaving for Liverpool. And also, Joao Félix has been pointed out by colleagues and journalists for his excessive individualism in plays in which he could assist teammates who were in a better situation and he did not. His desire for prominence has jeopardized clear scoring chances or caused losses like the one this past weekend against Brighton that ended up giving rise to the second visitor’s goal and Chelsea’s defeat. To that are added two other clear ones in the defeat against Tottenham, in the draw against Everton, against Fulham…
The Portuguese never raises his head when he receives the ball and that annoys his teammates, who, tired of him, have come to call his attention, as Sterling did. Joao Félix is what in England they call ‘Greedy’ and in Spain it is known as ‘chupón’. Joao has changed the Felix for ‘Greedy’…
The Portuguese has shot more than three times on goal in every game since he joined Chelsea. 43 shots in 13 games, of which only two have ended up in the nets. He needs 398 minutes to score, and to that frustrating statistic add another piece of information that confirms his nickname: he has yet to give an assist. Besides, The Portuguese also has a reputation for being “soft” because when he faces physical defenders he shies away from the challenge. And the initial play of the game at the Bernabéu is worth an example, in which a pass from Ngolo Kanté allowed him to stand alone against Courtois, but he did not lack personality to do so when he saw how Militao arrived like a buffalo, after which he stopped and ended up missing a resounding occasion.
And to all this are added some statements from the Portuguese burning all the bridges back to Atlético. Félix spoke of Cholo to the Portuguese chain ‘Eleven Sports’ as soon as he arrived in London: “Simeone’s way of competing is basically suffering on the field. It’s suffering, having an opportunity and marking it. It is his way of competing. It’s not bad, but it’s different from other trainers. Chelsea is a team that likes to attack, they have the ball, they dominate the game. That’s how I like to play. I feel very free playing here. I love it”. Not content with that, he also dedicated a few words to the mattress fans, which confirms his no intention of returning to the Metropolitan:”I spent three years at Atlético and I didn’t have any songs. Here in the first game I already had one.”
Nkunku closes the door
There is another definitive detail that closes the door to Joao Félix in the ‘blue’ team. Chelsea have signed Christopher Nkunku, the German Red Bull Leipzig striker, for whom they have paid 70 million the last December. The Frenchman will arrive next summer to be the offensive benchmark for the Londoners. Something that does not seem to worry Joao who must not have many plans to stay in London, where he has not even brought his favorite car, a BMW X4m with all the extras priced at 112,000 euros that he has left in Madrid. In the English capital he has a car that Chelsea has given him, in addition to the 250,000 pounds a week that he pays for his salary until June. One million monthly.
In recent weeks, the Mendes machinery has done its job and the tabloids talk about Manchester United’s interest in Joao Félix, a club to which he has been linked on several occasions. But that he has never really put a firm offer on the Atlético table for the Portuguese. Something that would surprise the rojiblancos leaders if it happened. The problem is that Neither Simeone wants to see his face in summer, nor in London are they seduced to continue seeing him dressed in blue. And at 23 he is too young to go to Saudi Arabia. Or maybe not…
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