Joao Felix / on loan to Chelsea

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JPRouve

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Is he better suited playing in Bruno’s role or Striker for us?
In my opinion as a striker, his qualities shine brighter in the last third. One of the issues with Atletico is that he has often been used away from the box.
 
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Messier1994

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I 100% agree he is a wonderful talent. I just don't think he is a 100m+ player based on his form for the past couple season. Like other have said club that is prepared to pay 100m is for his potential, and not what he is now.

100m+ may be nothing for United, City or may be Chelsea without Abramovich but it is a big sum for other clubs, especially with the recession that is upon us. He doesn't have many options out there.

Do i want him in Arsenal? Sure, but his contract expires in 2026 so chance is extremely slim.
Great point!

What we know is that:
-The Spanish teams are still hurting from the pandemic.
-Athletico is definitely not as good as it was 3-4 years ago. Simeone is definitely thirsting to improve that team.
-Simeone want a better effort from Felix on the pitch.
-Felix is pissed at Simeone for not recognizing his effort when playing hurt last season, probably simply putting too high demands on him in the eyes of Felix.
-Felix is not going to have a good season for AtM. He isn’t the first choice for his position. He is a massive talent, but still lacks the understanding to really turn that into high production. Ie, they are surely under no illusion that he could break out this season.
-Simeone transformed that team from being way behind Real and Barca to competing with them. His word will weigh heavily and a coach is usually a lot more synical about a player than the upper management. If Simeone had enough, it could go faster.

That speaks in favor of a cheaper transfer. But there are of course obvious aspects that could speak against it, like Felix potential etc.

BTW, wouldn’t Aron Wan-Bissaka be a perfect fit for Simeone? AWB and 30m for Felix in January? :D
 

Rozay

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It’s really hard to get over the fact he doesn’t score goals. Yes I know he plays in an extremely defensive team but it’s just speculation to say he would start scoring in another system. Very classy player to watch though.
On paper perhaps. Until you watch him play then it looks pretty obvious that he clearly CAN score goals. I think when you buy a young forward, you buy them for the goals they are going to score more than the ones they have scored. They are supposed to write their story with you. Antony already looks like he can break his personal best this season with us.

I am very confident Felix can be a world class striker. Not even a second striker, but a lone striker, provided the support is around him. For his modest record, he’s actually a brilliant finisher and also good in the air. The 25 year old Felix will also be physically stronger.
 

BerryBerryShrew

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I think Felix is a bit like Saint-Maximin in the sense that he is so fun to watch that his end product gets ignored a bit.

There's just too much of a gap between what Atletico would demand and what he is actually worth based on his performances. I'd happily drop €60m on him but Atletico would probably want substantially more.

He's not as good a CF as Oshimen and he's not as good a creative presence as Kvaradona but he'd have a similar price tag.

I also don't think he fits in a team with Bruno.
 
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caid

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He looks a crazy talent. I guess he might not put it together, might be more fun to watch than effective, might not fit Ten Hags needs. But i'd love to watch him every week and would drop stupid money on him anyway.
 

izec

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I rate him highly. Funny that some people belittle him when he actually looked good against us various times.
 

pocco

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I rate him highly. Funny that some people belittle him when he actually looked good against us various times.
I remember when a majority on here were laughing at how poor they thought he was when he was really young and just starting out for the national team. It was when Atletico had just signed him.

He was sensational against us last season. He was Atletico's out-ball against us, with him holding up play and taking people on whilst the rest of their team evacuated the penalty area and countered us. We couldn't lay a glove on him.

I've had him down as my no.1 option for a long time because I think he's immensely talented and would shine away from Someone. I thought he'd have been a good signing for City, though obviously they've filled that role now.

We have to be in for him if he's available but I suspect we'll have competition.
 

Red the Bear

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To be honest while I think he has a bright future ahead im not sure he'll be a good fit for us all things considered, he's the type of player to build your team around and at this point in time I'm not sure he's good enough to warrant it, a more straightforward no9 might be better for now.
 

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He and Bruno say they play well together, swap Ronaldo for him - I actually think Griezmann and Ronaldo would work well. Doubt Atletico would be interested in that, but hey ho.
 

Rozay

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He and Bruno say they play well together, swap Ronaldo for him - I actually think Griezmann and Ronaldo would work well. Doubt Atletico would be interested in that, but hey ho.
Well they either want to keep Felix or they don’t. If they are happy with him then there’s no conversation to be had at all. But they can’t both want rid and be totally inflexible at the same time. Of course, the talk of them being interested in Ronaldo may also be untrue, but if not, there may be a deal to be made I reckon.
 

Adam-Utd

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The issue is he's not a line leading striker.

Felix is a great player but he's another Bruno or Eriksen, we simply don't need him.

We can't afford to spend £100m on another player that will end up giving us more problems.

I'd rather go for a workhorse like Jonathan David that will suit our pressing game and be able to link up well.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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The issue is he's not a line leading striker.

Felix is a great player but he's another Bruno or Eriksen, we simply don't need him.

We can't afford to spend £100m on another player that will end up giving us more problems.

I'd rather go for a workhorse like Jonathan David that will suit our pressing game and be able to link up well.
He plays nothing like Bruno or Eriksen (as a 10) though.

Felix’s issue is his end product (for now), but he’s supremely talented, works hard, can wiggle out of tough situations and connects with other players for fun, the exact type of player that can facilitate our wide forwards. Everything you said of David there apply to him as well.
 

andersj

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He plays nothing like Bruno or Eriksen (as a 10) though.

Felix’s issue is his end product (for now), but he’s supremely talented, works hard, can wiggle out of tough situations and connects with other players for fun, the exact type of player that can facilitate our wide forwards. Everything you said of David there apply to him as well.
No way there is money for Felix. But I do think he would be perfect for EtH. Closer to a young Benzema than any player I can think of.
 

Orange Tree

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Can't see this happen. He would cost too much for our already stretched budget.

We can't sell players properly, there also won't be any fund injection from player's sales.
 

Pass and Move

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Not where I would spend the money. He's got Bergkamp vibes, which in the modern game is too much of a luxury. When you're competing with Haaland, Lewendowski, Benzema, Mbappe and so on for the big trophies you need an out and out striker to net you 30 goals a season. Either pace to stretch defenders or a target man to keep them occupied, not someone who's going to constantly bump into Bruno.
 

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Can't see us making the move for him, but with some structure in the team you can at least see where he might fit in. Still early in ETH's reign but suddenly certain young talents will be looking and thinking we're building something here. 6 months ago this was a club where players came to die
 

mav_9me

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Agreed with posters above. I really like him but he doesn't occupy defenders, can't play back to goal, doesn't make runs behind. Lovely touch, skill and technical ability. At the end of the day though he is a 9.5 neither a no.9 or no. 10
 

Adam-Utd

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He plays nothing like Bruno or Eriksen (as a 10) though.

Felix’s issue is his end product (for now), but he’s supremely talented, works hard, can wiggle out of tough situations and connects with other players for fun, the exact type of player that can facilitate our wide forwards. Everything you said of David there apply to him as well.
He plays the same as Bruno or at least in the same areas. We need somebody who will stretch defences, not come deeper and get involved.

We already play around the edge of the box way too much.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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He plays the same as Bruno or at least in the same areas. We need somebody who will stretch defences, not come deeper and get involved.

We already play around the edge of the box way too much.
Not really, he actually does the same kind of job as Martial, be a focal point for the ball to stick to to facilitate their counters, Bruno on the other hand can’t hold the ball for shit despite his other qualities so always try for that killer pass/Hollywood ball.

I can understand preferring an out and out traditional 9, but looking at the way we play and our current best striker option (Martial), theres nothing to suggest that Felix cant fulfill the same role.
 

redshaw

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ETH might want a fit a Martial type player and Felix is better with headers and could make use of Antony crosses.

I just don't see how Felix goes for a reasonable fee. Maybe a loan in Jan just to get him some game time.
 

bosnian_red

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He plays the same as Bruno or at least in the same areas. We need somebody who will stretch defences, not come deeper and get involved.

We already play around the edge of the box way too much.
What we need is a player who can hold up the ball well, and be a dynamic attacker. We need someone like Martial, but who is fit. We have Rashford to be the player to make the constant runs in behind, that's not the type of striker Ten Hag is after. Sure the striker needs to be capable of it (as Martial is), but primarily, no.
 

tenpoless

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What we need is a player who can hold up the ball well, and be a dynamic attacker. We need someone like Martial, but who is fit. We have Rashford to be the player to make the constant runs in behind, that's not the type of striker Ten Hag is after. Sure the striker needs to be capable of it (as Martial is), but primarily, no.
Youre calling Martial ugly?
 

Davie Moyes

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Anyone feel that he has it in him to explode at some point in terms of goals output? Otherwise he is supremely gifted. I say that based mainly on his performances against us last season.
 

Rozay

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His numbers are misleading in the sense that he’s actually a brilliant finisher. I’ve seen the right instincts in him to have confidence that he can be a 25 goal striker personally.
 

Telsim

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Agreed with what has been said so far. He is talented, no doubt about that, but not what we need. Besides, he will cost a fortune. A bad deal all around. I doubt Ten Hag will allow this.
 

Asger

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Agreed with what has been said so far. He is talented, no doubt about that, but not what we need. Besides, he will cost a fortune. A bad deal all around. I doubt Ten Hag will allow this.
Maybe a loan deal until summer?
 

Gordon S

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Agreed with what has been said so far. He is talented, no doubt about that, but not what we need. Besides, he will cost a fortune. A bad deal all around. I doubt Ten Hag will allow this.
Not sure it is a bad deal all around?
If we consider that Ronnie is cooked and Martial is injured too often and just not THAT good often enough, we are really thin upfront. Just Sancho, Rashford and Antony as natural senior attackers in the team. It is not much for a team with ambitions to compete for titles.
I doubt that this deal will happen but we need quality options. And Felix is certainly a quality option.
 

Invictus

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Can't quite make my mind up, to be honest; even though I appreciate his skill set and style of play. ten Hag's Ajax played some of their best and most successful football with a deep-lying center forward who could organize the attack. From a playmaking standpoint, Félix could emulate some of what Tadić did — and he's also a more natural goalscorer since his Benfica days. If Rashford maintains a consistently good level of play, a front 3 with him as an inside forward of sorts, Félix as a deep-lying center forward and Antony as a wing forward could be quite lethal — and fairly young to boot, with an average age of approximately 23. But, ten Hag has also shown a slight preference for conventional strikers over the years — from Dolberg (who initially had precedence over Tadić) to Huntelaar and Haller, so someone like Vlahović (as an example, not that we should sign him specifically) seems a more straightforward fit. Also, Félix has a spotty medical record in recent seasons...

 

Strootman's Finger

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Was never a 100 mil player, but because one crazy club decided to pay that, he'll always have that price tag.
 
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