João félix

Chelsea's brand spanking new signing Joao Felix goes straight into the starting 11 for the Blues' game away to Fulham. The Portuguese has only had one ...

The new number 11's quality is undoubted, but provided he starts to show it on the pitch. The Premier League's seventh matchday was postponed after Queen Elizabeth II died and this Thursday we are going to catch up, well, at least in terms of Fulham-Chelsea. Chelsea's imperative need to improve in the league made them go for him in the market.

Joao Felix starts for Chelsea against Fulham just a day after his loan move from Atletico Madrid was confirmed. The 23-year-old will make his Premier League ...

[Premier League](https://theathletic.com/football/premier-league/) debut at Craven Cottage with Graham Potter putting his faith in the Portugal international. [Antonee Robinson](https://theathletic.com/football/player/antonee-robinson-D7bjbYbvuoyPTsuX/), [Joao Palhinha](https://theathletic.com/football/player/joao-palhinha-V3auBkD0QaPo1HqE/), Reed, Reid, [Andreas Pereira](https://theathletic.com/football/player/andreas-pereira-MCFLOlnoBLQxIoXY/), [Willian](https://theathletic.com/football/player/willian-PAAYZGhzgkswLzoj/), Vinicius. [Jorginho](https://theathletic.com/football/player/jorginho-MvC0hVi06208wo5E/), Aubameyang, Bettinelli, Ziyech, Gallagher, [David Datro Fofana](https://theathletic.com/football/player/david-datro-fofana-AzpJzDsCd1yhxZ0m/), Chukwuemeka, Cucurella. [Arsenal](https://theathletic.com/football/team/arsenal/) and [Manchester United](https://theathletic.com/football/team/manchester-united/) to secure the signing, with Joao Felix having been attracted by their project. [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang](https://theathletic.com/football/player/pierre-emerick-aubameyang-PlxW6clTOC8TqmBP/) returns to Chelsea’s matchday squad after missing Sunday’s 4-0 defeat in the [FA Cup](https://theathletic.com/football/fa-cup/) by [Manchester City](https://theathletic.com/football/team/manchester-city/) through injury. [Joao Felix](https://theathletic.com/football/player/joao-felix-ucCJXAWiq0yowCTd/) starts for [Chelsea](https://theathletic.com/football/team/chelsea/) against [Fulham](https://theathletic.com/football/team/fulham/) just a day after his loan move from Atletico Madrid was confirmed.

Graham Potter has described Joao Felix's red card in Chelsea's loss to Fulham as another blow to his side.

Makes it a little more difficult for us, I thought the application when we went down to 10 was really good. We made a couple of mistakes for their goal. He took the ball, caused danger. “It is another blow; the hits keep coming at the moment. "You can see his quality,” Potter said. Transfers

Graham Potter said "the hits keep on coming" after Joao Felix was sent off on his Chelsea debut as the Blues slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Fulham.

It is a tough moment for us." "It is tough. We feel for them and I think it is important we stick together and try and get through this tough period." I made sure I went over and clapped them because we appreciate their support. He was really good, you could see his quality in the game, so it is doubly disappointing for us. It is another blow.

Which players had the worst possible start to life in England's top division? A Premier League debut is a daunting prospect for even the most seasoned ...

[Joao Felix's nightmare debut](https://www.goal.com/en/news/joao-felix-red-card-nasty-challenge-chelsea-debut-fulham-premier-league-career-disaster/blt5f05a1bc13c8826a) on Thursday, here are 11 of the worst debuts in the division's history. In light of A Premier League debut is a daunting prospect for even the most seasoned professional footballers.

Just a day after sealing a loan move from Atletico Madrid, Joao Felix was named in Chelsea's starting line-up at Fulham.

Chelsea's poor run of form continued with a 2-1 Premier League loss against Fulham as the pressure increases on Graham Potter.

A look at how Chelsea's past five number 11s have fared at the club following the signing of Joao Felix.

He's gone on to make over 200 appearances for the Italian giants as a versatile winger. Prior to the 2012/13 season, a then-20-year-old Oscar turned up in west London having just signed for the Blues in a deal worth around £20m with expectations fairly high. Far from brief was Pedro's stay in west London. The Ivorian is an undisputed legend of west London. His There were undeniably sparks of quality and moments to remember (a Champions League title, to which he contributed four goals and two assists, springs to mind) for the German before he returned to Leipzig in 2022, but he never really got off the mark at Chelsea - a first season in which he assisted a whopping 12 goals, although only managed six strikes of his own, makes his second-season blues all the more upsetting. Joining the club in the summer of 2020 on the back of scoring 28 Bundesliga goals for RB Leipzig the season before, his two-year spell at Stamford Bridge was riddled more with offside gags than goals as he became a target for jokes. After wearing the number 17 shirt during his debut season in 2015/16, the Spaniard claimed number 11 the following campaign and wore it until his departure in the summer of 2020. Originally given the number 15 shirt in his first spell, he went on to make the number 11 his own and had no trouble getting it back when returning to Stamford Bridge for the 2014/15 season. [Premier League](https://www.90min.com/leagues/premier-league) titles, a League Cup and success in Europe, his eventual move to China was a mammoth shock to everyone but a transfer away from SW6 was little surprise given his largely downhill trajectory in his final two seasons at the club. A lasting memory of his time in England was his spectacular strike against Juventus in the 2012/13 Champions League group stage - the looping, bending, perfectly controlled yet ferocious strike into the top corner epitomised his boundless potential (the goal was also his second on his Champions League debut, which also gave a nod to his quality). [arrival at Chelsea](https://www.90min.com/posts/chelsea-sign-joao-felix-on-loan-from-atletico-madrid), it's also the number Joao Felix has been given for his [loan](https://www.90min.com/categories/transfer) spell at Stamford Bridge until the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign.

Joao Felix showed Chelsea what they've been missing for an hour and what they will now miss again for the next three games. The skillful halfwit.

Felix can work in those positions between the lines, and was involved in some neat build-up play – flicking the ball on for Kai Havertz and getting it back; drifting past defenders with the ball at his feet. Mason Mount aside, members of Chelsea’s front three in the last two-and-a-half years have ranged from mediocre to p*ss poor. It will be good for Graham Potter to have one of his own. Make no mistake, this is a wonderful deal for Atletico, who have made £9m and don’t have to pay £270,000 a week for a player Simeone puts on the bench. Felix will return to Madrid at the start of next season – hopefully having regained some confidence through game time at Chelsea – when Atletico will likely have a new manager. That’s a superstar fee for someone who has too rarely looked like a superstar in the three years since.

Joao Felix looked sharp one day after completing a loan move from Atletico Madrid but he was shown a straight red card in the 58th minute as Chelsea lost to ...

Potter's side had been humbled 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup on Sunday but made a positive start at Craven Cottage, with Felix looking lively. The second half wasn't at our best level," he said. "The good thing we can take as a group, even in the second half we didn't perform at our best and we are able to win a football match against a top side even if they are on a bad run."

Chelsea's owners have been unwavering in backing of Potter - after defeat to Fulham and red for Joao Felix that resolve is being tested.

The majority were relatively comfortable saves for [Bernd Leno](https://theathletic.com/football/player/bernd-leno-isTkDzc6d6j12NLz/) though. It is difficult to blame Potter for such individual errors when his tactical setup made sense and Chelsea won the expected goals (xG) comfortably — 0.7-2.1. Potter is fundamentally the same coach Chelsea hired to helm a long-term project in September. He sprinted into the right channel to latch onto a [Cesar Azpilicueta](https://theathletic.com/football/player/cesar-azpilicueta-CCN3w4aSGdHj5s6r/) pass down the line and any regular Chelsea watcher knew what to expect next: decelerate, check back inside and keep possession, waiting for team-mates to arrive to create numerical superiority. The number reaches 12 if you include Aubameyang, who was left on the bench during the late chase for an equaliser. Boehly and Clearlake have been consistent and unwavering in their backing, but the extent of their resolve cannot be known until it is thoroughly stress-tested. Anarchy flourished at both ends of the pitch. Chelsea as a team were revitalised by Joao Felix in attack, registering 14 shots at goal and five on target in just the first half. More hapless defending did that, coupled with His high and late tackle on [Trevoh Chalobah](https://theathletic.com/football/player/trevoh-chalobah-nA4AuCi9fSD483tE/) and [Kalidou Koulibaly](https://theathletic.com/football/player/kalidou-koulibaly-Xrp8uQyKo6Y04VY4/) blended misplaced passes with unforced errors and even [Thiago Silva](https://theathletic.com/football/player/thiago-silva-SMvGFhYXbUH4qI7k/) struggled mightily to deal with the physical presence of [Carlos Vinicius](https://theathletic.com/football/player/carlos-vinicius-1R8Oyyce8nHkA8HA/). He formed a particularly easy chemistry with

Joao Felix was perhaps a surprise inclusion in the Chelsea XI for their game against Fulham on Thursday evening but the Portugal international only played ...

[Chelsea](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc) started the game on top and it looked as if the players had been given a much-needed boost by the arrival of [Felix](https://www.football.london/all-about/joao-felix) just over 30 hours before. Potter will be missing his new signing, who was brought in to try and change Chelsea's fortunes in offensive areas, for games against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Fulham in the next few weeks. Felix started the half well; picking up the ball deep and producing a couple of really nice passes. Felix, in his 58-minute debut, provided everything Chelsea have been missing (bar a goal). [the club announced the loan signing](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/breaking-chelsea-joao-felix-atletico-25940372) of the 23-year-old attacker, [Graham Potter](https://www.football.london/all-about/graham-potter) threw him straight into the team for the west London derby. [Tim Ream](https://www.football.london/all-about/tim-ream), nutmegging him in the process before finding [Havertz](https://www.football.london/all-about/kai-havertz), whose shot was blocked. The reaction wasn't there and it of course had an impact on Felix. Felix looked so energetic, quick on the ball and while running off it, and was clearly full of confidence. Not only did it leave Chelsea with a really difficult challenge with 10 men, it spoiled what was a really encouraging debut from Felix. [Felix started alongside Kai Havertz](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/confirmed-chelsea-team-vs-fulham-25965060) in what looked like a 3-5-2 formation for the visitors at Craven Cottage. He drew two yellow cards in the opening 14 minutes at Craven Cottage – just to show Chelsea supporters, those who didn't know, how he played. The directness is a rarity with the Blues right now.

Atletico Madrid undoubtedly overpaid for Joao Felix but that is not his fault, though getting sent off on his Chelsea debut is… Who's this then?

Personally, I suspect he’s one of those players who will come really good in his late 20s when he’s matured and has a better sense of himself and where he belongs. The enigma may not be resolved at Chelsea and will only grow as he misses the next three games. Will he even have the time to coach Felix into being a better player when he’s surely preoccupied with trying to work out what on earth he can do to stop the Blues downward slide? So the player needs to do some work on himself, but all of this is interrelated to coaching and club. Saul and Jan Oblak were caught on camera saying “When he wants to, he can change the game, man.” The first half of that sentence is doing all the heavy lifting. His first goal was in the Lisbon derby, he was the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Europa League, and he scored 20 goals in 43 appearances, helping Benfica to win the league. The blame for that can be laid at the club and Jorge Mendes, who, somewhat inevitably, is Felix’s agent. He clearly didn’t like his manager and his manager didn’t like him. Even though this season he’d scored four and made three in 14 appearances, by December the club was saying he was a gamble that hadn’t really paid off. He doesn’t strike me as the reincarnation of Chopper Harris, who routinely made tackles like that and far, far worse.. Last season he only scored eight in the league and made four assists but he was playing well, though suffering from aggressive defender attention. A talent from an early age, he joined Porto’s youth ranks aged just eight and even moved away from home when he was 12 to be near the club training ground.

Joao Felix is one of only 12 players to move for a transfer fee of €100 million or more. How many can be deemed a success? (Spoiler: Not many.)

Now age 30, the Brazilian superstar has won 12 honours over the course of six successful seasons in Paris, including four Ligue 1 titles and three Coupe de France triumphs. [England](/soccer/team?id=448) international has made a moderate start to life at the Etihad, contributing six goals and four assists (in all competitions) in his debut season, but while he was part of City's 2021-22 title-winning side, he often featured in an ancillary role. His most memorable action in a Barca match arguably came against them, when he scored for Bayern in their 8-2 mauling of his parent club in the 2020 Champions League quarterfinals. [Neymar](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/132948/Neymar) He then made the natural step up to Barcelona in 2019 and commanded a superstar's fee, but unfortunately the two parties struggled to mesh fully. Having played just 50 times for Dortmund during his short senior career, Dembele was suddenly transformed into the second-most expensive player of all time at the age of 20 when Barcelona signed him in August 2017. [Romelu Lukaku](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/139437/Romelu-Lukaku) Bale experienced the highest highs with Los Blancos, winning three LaLiga titles and five Champions Leagues (and scoring in two finals) among a host of other major honours. (Spoiler alert: Hits are thin on the ground.) However, the Belgium international was quickly stymied by various injury and fitness woes that continue to blight his post-Chelsea career: The most appearances he has made in any one season for Los Blancos is 23. What should have been a euphoric homecoming quickly became a stagnant procession for Pogba. [Ousmane Dembele](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/229744/Ousmane-Dembélé)

Joao Felix was shown a straight red card on his debut for Chelsea against Fulham after a high challenge on Kenny Tete – leaving the Cottagers defender ...

[Chelsea dealt major injury blow vs Fulham as Denis Zakaria limps off](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/breaking-denis-zakaria-injury-chelsea-25965955) [Willian](https://www.football.london/all-about/willian), formerly of Chelsea, gave Fulham the lead in the first-half. [Kalidou Koulibaly](https://www.football.london/all-about/kalidou-koulibaly) had equalised for the visitors at Craven Cottage. Felix recorded numerous shots as well in his time on the pitch but was unable to get his first goal in his new colours. Felix will next be available for Chelsea when they take on West Ham United in February. In the opening 45 minutes, Felix really impressed – which makes his red card even more disappointing. The referee, after a bit of deliberation, branded the red card, meaning Felix will miss Chelsea's next three matches.