Chelsea ‘don’t want Felix back at club’
New Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino does not want Joao Felix to return to the club next season, Atletico Madrid’s president has said.
Felix, who joined Chelsea on loan from Atletico in January and went on to make 20 appearances in all competitions in the second half of the campaign, said in recent weeks that he was happy at Stamford Bridge but now appears to have no hope of returning next season.
Speaking at an event in Madrid, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo said he had been told in the past 24 hours that Felix was no longer wanted by Chelsea.
“We have known for less than 24 hours,” Cerezo was quoted as saying by Spanish sports newspaper AS. “The Chelsea manager does not count on him. He will come [back to Atletico] when his commitment ends and we will see what happens. We do not have anything planned, but he is an Atletico Madrid player.”
Chelsea paid £9.7million to sign Felix on loan in January, when there was also interest from Arsenal in the Portugal international. At the same time, the 23-year-old signed a one-year extension to his contract with Atletico.
He went on to score four goals for Chelsea and has suggested numerous times that he would be keen to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge.
In March, Felix said: “Chelsea is a team who likes to attack, who likes to have the ball, who likes to dominate, so that’s the game I like to play. I feel very free to play here, to play as I like. I’m loving it. When I left Atletico, I thought it was good for me and for them. So I think it was the perfect deal.”
Earlier this month, he added: “I don’t know yet my future but these four or five months, I love it. It’s a top club. Everyone was very good to me. I really like to be here.”
The news comes a day after Chelsea formally announced Pochettino as their head coach, with the former Tottenham Hotspur manager agreeing a two-year deal that has an option of a further 12 months.
Chelsea have also announced the appointment of Chris Jurasek as their new chief executive while president of business Tom Glick is set to leave after less than a year in his role. Jurasek will oversee all business areas and report to the board alongside co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.
“I’m delighted to be joining Chelsea, a club which is loved and followed all over the world,” Jurasek said. “I’m enormously proud to be leading it into the next chapter in its rich history. We have huge opportunities to grow on and off the pitch and to engage our exceptional fans.”