Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Joao Felix. (imago Images)
Former Premier League strikers Andy Cole and Jan Aage Fjortoft question Chelsea over the signing of Joao Felix on a loan deal.
Fjortoft tweeted hours after David Ornstein released the news that the Blues have agreed on terms to sign the Portugal international. The former Middlesbrough striker questioned when will the club realise that they need a number nine, and not the forward players who are not number nines.
Cole, on the other hand, was speaking to Casinos En Ligne (h/t Metro) and asked that if Chelsea are paying a good sum to sign Felix on loan, why not pay a little more and sign him on a permanent deal?
Here’s what the former Manchester United marksman said (h/t Metro):
“Felix is undoubtedly a class player but if you’re talking about £10m for a loan fee you might as well try to get the deal done on a permanent basis if you fancy him.”
It was reported in The Athletic that Chelsea will pay a £9.68m loan fee to get Felix. While Cole’s question is legitimate about paying more and signing him permanently. The counter to that is we do not know how much is the player worth in Atletico Madrid’s mind.
The Mirror reported that the Spanish side would let go of the Portugal international on a £9.5m loan fee, with a commitment to buy him for £70.5m. Now, that is a high price for a player who hasn’t really set the world alight since moving to Spain, albeit under difficult circumstances. As updated by Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea struck a loan deal where there is no obligation to buy.
With regard to what Fjortoft said, he is right. As much as Felix is a good signing because Chelsea do lack a creative spark in the final third, they are crying out for a top-quality striker.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz are just not doing enough, while Armando Broja is out for the season with an ACL injury. Injuries to Christian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling do not help the cause, albeit they are not strikers anyway.
Chelsea are linked with French striker Marcus Thuram, whose contract expires in the summer (Transfermarkt). Despite that, the Blues are looking to sign him now on a cut-price deal. Let’s hope this move also happens because Felix alone cannot solve our attacking issues.
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