Chelsea manager wasn’t sold on new FC Barcelona star

Over the last two games one thing has become clear, Joao Felix is the key to unlocking the attacking potential at FC Barcelona.

That may seem a little premature considering we’re still so early in the season, but scoring 10 goals and conceding 0 is a statement of intent.

Joao Felix isn’t just scoring, he’s assisting his teammates and linking the play as well as any player for the Blaugranes. He’s played 3 games, scored 3 goals and registered 2 assists. OK, officially he only has one assist, but his dummy that set Lewandowski through for the goal against Real Betis was as good as an assist.

His link-up play with Lewandowski has been a particular highlight.

So how did Barcelona come to land a player of Felix’s quality on loan?

Mauricio Pochettino was not convinced of Felix’s fit within the team

Felix spent the second half of the 2022 season with Chelsea last season, and while he didn’t set the Premier League alight, he was one of the brighter spots in an abject Chelsea side, although his 4 goals from 16 appearances may not have highlighted this.

According to Fabrizio Romano in his daily briefing this morning, Chelsea decided not to pursue Felix for two reasons:

1. There was a financial situation where it was believed that Felix would not be available on another loan deal. Chelsea was not willing to spend €70-€80 million on the deal.
2. Mauricio Pochettino was not sold that Felix was the right man for the attacking playmaker role, instead believing that Christopher Nkunku was the ideal candidate.

Interestingly, a report surfaced before Felix joined Barca indicating that Xavi had reservations about Felix’s fit as well.

Obviously, the relationship between Felix and Athletico Madrid deteriorated to a point where Felix was available on loan, although the Portuguese striker had to sign a new contract to facilitate the deal with Barca due to the financial constraints at the club.

I’m sure everyone at Barcelona will be thanking Pochettino for deciding against targeting Felix, who’s been a revelation at Barca so far.