Chelsea have struck gold in the transfer market of late, with players such as Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo proving to be some of the Premier League’s finest, capable of leading the Blues to glory in years to come.
To be honest, Chelsea have plenty of work ahead of them, on and off the field, if they are to slingshot past the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City and establish themselves as English football’s powerhouse once again.
But Enzo Maresca will take plenty of optimism from his squad’s start to the top-flight campaign; victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers this evening would see Chelsea leapfrog Newcastle United back into the top four.
There’s so much to like about the Stamford Bridge squad, robust and slick in attack, but there’s still a lot of shuffling going on – with several exits anticipated.
Where Chelsea's frontline is headed
BlueCo seem intent on signing a new left winger. Mykhaylo Mudryk failed a drug test in December but maintains his innocence. However, the Ukrainian has not featured since playing and scoring against Heidenheim in the Conference League on November 28.
Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens has been placed on the club’s wishlist this month, while recent enquiries have also been lodged regarding Alejandro Garnacho, who has endured a rough patch under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.
It points toward Maresca being discontented with his current options, for Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel has also been identified as a winter target, with the Germans looking to sign Christopher Nkunku in a separate deal.
Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and several more are set to star under Maresca’s guidance for many years, but there’s another member who’s attracting interest from Italy and should be sold.
He’s only been back at the Bridge for a little while, but Joao Felix is struggling to impose himself in this talented and many-layered squad.
Why Chelsea must sell Joao Felix already
Felix’s career hasn’t really taken off since he left Benfica as a prodigious talent and landed in Madrid to complete a £113m transfer to Diego Simeone’s Atletico, where he scored 34 goals across 131 appearances.
Within that stint was a short loan spell in west London, arriving at Chelsea when they were at their nadir in a post-Abramovich world and showing flashes of quality but ultimately winding back in La Liga at the end of a disappointing Chelsea campaign.
One year later, the west Londoners returned for the silky talent – this time on a permanent deal, wrapping the signing up for a £45m fee last August.
It’s been a mixed bag of a season for the 25-year-old so far, with Felix having played a central part in Chelsea’s flawless Conference League campaign but typically pitted against lower-calibre opponents.
In the Premier League, he scored off the bench as Chelsea battered Wolves, but has since failed to add to his top-flight tally while only being handed three starting berths.
Chelsea are showing something of a ruthless edge in the transfer market and could continue this with Felix’s sale. According to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato, AC Milan are looking to strengthen its frontline after a largely frustrating term and have made Felix one of their priorities.
The Italian giants are looking to take advantage of his lack of authority under Maresca and tempt Chelsea into cutting their losses, initially bringing him in on loan before tying the move up for £30m at the end of the 205/26 campaign.
Yes, that means that Milan would like to land Felix on loan for the upcoming season too, so Chelsea would have to wait some time before earning their payday, but given that a continued role in the first team might see his value diminish further – even now, Transfermarkt record Felix’s market value at just £25m – it might be wise to get the terms finalised as soon as possible.
Felix has impressed in the Conference League but even against inferior opposition, his metrics on the European stage this term still don’t match up to Palmer’s making a telling comment on the player who Maresca should expend his tactical resources improving.
Matches (starts)
5 (3)
21 (21)
Goals
4
14
Assists
0
6
Touches*
45.0
55.7
Shots (on target)*
3.2 (1.4)
3.5 (1.9)
Big chances missed
3
9
Pass completion
84%
81%
Key passes*
1.4
2.8
Dribbles (success)*
1.6 (40%)
1.3 (50%)
Tackles + interceptions*
0.8
0.9
Total duels (won)*
3.6 (51%)
4.0 (54%)
Of course, you can never have too much depth in football (financial parameters withstanding, of course), but if AC Milan are serious about signing the Portugal international, there’s just cause for Maresca to confirm to the powers that be that he would be willing to part ways with the mercurial player.
Not least because Felix’s £130k-per-week salary is actually right on par with that of Palmer, and that’s after the esteemed England international penned a new lucrative deal with Chelsea in August, extending his contract until 2033.
Jamie Carragher has proclaimed Palmer to be “the best player in the Premier League” this season, with Palmer posting 39 goals and 21 assists across 69 Chelsea appearances since leaving Manchester City in 2023.
There’s also the point that Chelsea will not be envisaging a second successive season in the Conference League and will exhaust every effort in qualifying for Europe’s elite competition.
This will surely serve as a natural streamliner, with fringe players finding their opportunities limited in the years ahead.
Well, it hardly looks as if Palmer is going to fall from his perch as Chelsea’s first-choice superstar at number ten, and if a club like AC Milan is interested in signing Felix, Paul Winstanley and Co might be well-advised to listen to the offer.
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