Manchester City turned down the chance of signing Joao Felix due to poor Chelsea loan spell
According to AS, (h/t Football.London), Joao Felix, currently on loan to Barcelona, was offered to Manchester City last summer but Pep Guardiola decided against it due to his poor performance at Chelsea
It was believed the Blues would sign Felix permanently, but the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino led to the Argentine manager opposing keeping the Portuguese forward beyond his loan spell.
Now, Pochettino’s doubts about signing the former Benfica forward have been validated by Man City manager Guardiola. Despite no obligation to buy the forward, the 23-year-old star wanted to remain at Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino had different plans, and the Blues certainly don’t regret their decision, especially with Christopher Nkunku returning from injury in December.
Felix is currently enjoying a productive spell at Barcelona, scoring three goals in eight games across all competitions. With Atletico Madrid demanding a high price for their star, it’s unlikely the Catalan giants can afford it, given their financial problems.
When a manager doesn’t want a particular player at his club, it’s usually due to player-related issues. The manager may feel the player could negatively impact the dressing room or isn’t the best fit for his playing style.
It’s possible that both Pochettino and Guardiola experienced this. Fans’ dissatisfaction with Pochettino’s decision to reject Joao Felix further explains why the former PSG manager didn’t want Felix. Pochettino is the one making decisions about a player’s future at Chelsea, so he knows what’s best for the team, and his choices are sound.
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Felix is a great player, but his time at Atletico Madrid was disastrous. At Barcelona, however, he is thriving, and ideally, the club will be hopeful of signing him permanently because they could go on to regret a missed opportunity.
