Not many players get a chance for a do-over at Chelsea, so Joao Felix can consider himself lucky that he gets the opportunity to wipe the slate clean ahead of his second debut.
The Blues are preparing for their trip to face Wolves at Molineux on Sunday where Felix could make his first appearance for the club in 14 months. It is fair to say that given how his last spell in England started and ended, he has unfinished business to attend to.
The Portugal international completed his £42million switch from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday after protracted negotiations involving Conor Gallagher moving to the Metropolitano in a separate deal.
It is a move Felix told his friends and family he wanted for some time after getting his first taste of Premier League action in January 2023, when he joined Chelsea on a six-month loan from the La Liga giants. Now he has it – and this time permanently.
The 24-year-old impressed the fans with some fine individual performances, although it is a flicker of light in an otherwise dreadful campaign as the west London side finished 12th – their worst league finish since the 1993-94 season when they were 14th.
He scored four goals in 16 league outings, with fine finishes against Everton and West Ham the obvious highlights. But there were some dark moments for the attacker too – and his debut was the worst of them all.
Having been handed a first start by former boss Graham Potter against Fulham, Felix had been a genuine threat for Chelsea up front with Kai Havertz and generated excitement amongst the fans at Craven Cottage.
But his eagerness to impress went a touch too far when he chased a loose, bouncing ball and slid in hard on Kenny Tete. The reaction of the Fulham players said it all and Felix’s downcast body language said it all. He knew what was coming his way when David Coote brandished the red card.
The score was 1-1 at that point, but Chelsea struggled to control the game and conceded late on to Carlos Vinicius as they fell to defeat against their west London rivals. A debut red card is rarely forgotten in the unforgiving Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino decided he didn’t want to sign Felix on a permanent deal when offered the chance in June 2023. But the owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, along with sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, are fans of his work.
With Felix becoming the 11th summer signing at Stamford Bridge, Enzo Maresca has yet another attacking midfielder to cram into his squad. And the Italian believes it won’t be long until he proves his worth.
“He is a player that is going to help us. Potentially he is a top player, no doubt,” Maresca said. “I’ve known Joao for many years. Working with him day by day, I will [get to] know him even better. We are going to try to help him improve and see if he can take one step forward to reach the level of the [very best] players.”
When asked if he will make his debut against Wolves, the head coach, 44, suggested he will be on the bench: “He is available and for sure he can get chances to play. In terms of knowing the way we’re going to play, he is probably not ready yet,” he added.
“In terms of physicality, he is ready because he was already playing games there, so it’s just to understand if he needs more time to understand the way we’re going to play. But, overall, I think he can play.”
If he does play, Chelsea fans will be hoping Felix has learned from his mistakes. Supporters are forgiving towards their own players, but another debut horror show could damage Felix’s hopes of making a success of his Stamford Bridge career.
