Speaking for Sky Sports on Monday Night Football, Jamie Carragher has slammed Joaoa Felix’s decision to join Chelsea. The Atletico Madrid forward had been heavily linked with a move to Villa this summer and it was widely reported that Unai Emery had made Felix his number one transfer target.
Carragher and his colleague Gary Neville spoke in detail about the issues at Chelsea as their billion pound squad continues to grow. Carragher said:
"“You’re asking where Joao Felix is going to play at Chelsea. I’m asking you where is he going to get changed on the training ground?”"
Chelsea’s squad now consists of over forty players with the club having signed 39 players since Todd Boehly, chairman, arrival two years ago. The club so far this summer have signed Pedro Neto from Wolves, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Omari Kellyman, Caleb Wiley, Marc Guiu, Renato Veiga, Aaron Anselmino, Filip Jorgensen and Tosin Adarabioyo. The total sum of those signings comes to €190 million with Felix set to sign for another €60 million.
The club has come under intense scrutiny for their transfer dealings and with a squad the size that it is, it would take a miracle to keep all players happy at the club. Senior player Raheem Sterling has already released a statement to express his anger and unhappiness at the club following the news he was not selected for the matchday squad against Manchester City on Sunday.
"Chelsea have just got to stop buying players, and players have got to stop signing for Chelsea." @Carra23 on Chelsea's transfers over the summer 😨✍ pic.twitter.com/tbXjr4EJ90
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 19, 2024
So, why would Joao Felix choose to sign for a club described as a ‘circus’ by many in the media over a team where he could flourish and playing Champions League football? After finishing in 6th place last season Chelsea will be playing in the Europa Conference League.
Unfortunately for Aston Villa, a deal was always going to prove difficult to secure due to the financial implications. Atletico demanded a fee of €60 million to sign the player and with Felix’s wages being above the £200,000 per-week mark then unless the player lowered his demands he was unrealistically going to agree to join the club.
Felix would have been a perfect fit in the eyes of many at Aston Villa. Bringing a higher-calibre of player to the club with experience playing in the UEFA Champions League for some of the top clubs in world football would have been huge for the squad and club. However, Villa will now either search for another man to fill the gap of a No.10 type player or simply stick with what they've got, as there is plenty of quality in the forward areas as it is.
UTV