11 January 2023 , 12:36
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Joao Felix has hailed the opportunity of joining "one of the great teams in the world'" after putting pen to paper on a loan deal with Chelsea.
The Blues came to a quick-fire agreement with Atletico Madrid to take the Portuguese forward to Stamford Bridge. His six-month loan spell was officially confirmed by Chelsea on Wednesday afternoon with just under £10m set to be paid to Atleti for the deal.
Speaking after his switch to the Premier League was announced, Felix said: "Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team reach their objectives, so I am very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge."
Felix, 23, arrives at Stamford Bridge having forged a reputation as one the most exciting young players in Europe over the last few seasons. He initially burst onto the scene with Benfica before going on to secure a £111m switch to Madrid in the summer of 2019.
Since then, the 28-time Portugal international has made 131 appearances for the Spanish giants and helped them to the La Liga title during the 2020/21 campaign. However, things started going wrong for the youngster this term with his relationship with manager Diego Simeone having soured beyond repair.
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He now joins a Chelsea side that have endured a hugely disappointing start to the new campaign, although he has also extended his contract with Atletico. The Blues currently sit tenth in the Premier League under the tutelage of new boss Graham Potter.
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They have lost six out of their last nine games in all competitions - a run of form that includes the recent 4-0 thumping at the hands of Manchester City and has seen the former Brighton boss come under severe pressure. He will certainly hope that new signing Felix can hit the ground running.
Thursday evening's clash with Fulham appears likely to come too soon for the forward to make his debut for the club. The Blues then take on Crystal Palace this weekend with Felix potentially in line to make his first Stamford Bridge outing.
The Portuguese is already the third arrival of the January transfer window as Todd Boehly continues his huge investment since completing his big-money takeover. Young striker David Datro Fofana became the first to arrive having been signed from Molde and made his debut at the Etihad Stadium.
Elsewhere, French defender Benoit Badiashile was also recruited from Monaco. That spending looks unlikely to stop any time soon with Benfica and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez a prime target although negotiations have reached an impasse.
Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk is also being targeted with his current employers Shakhtar Donetsk demanding a fee of up to £88m. The Blues have already expressed their intention to beat any bid from their Premier League rivals.