>
MATT BARLOW: Joao Félix’s red card made the start of a desperate loan spell at Chelsea DISASTER… but until then he’s been silky and ungrateful, looking fresh and hungry, freed from Diego Simeone’s demands
There has been a breath of despair over Chelsea’s search for Joao Félix.
As if they signed him because they could, as others questioned an investment of around £15m in fees and wages for just six months’ service from a young player with a reputation for bad temper.
“It’s not a normal loan,” Fulham manager Marco Silva said before kick-off Thursday night’s game, which the Cottagers won 2-1. Still, Chelsea has long since ceased to function as a normal club.
The red card for new Chelsea striker Joao Félix made it a disastrous start to a desperate loan.
The Portuguese star was shown his marching orders for a bad tackle on Fulham’s Kenny Tete
Felix’s moment of madness came after having impressed in his debut with the Blues
They are also not in what for them is a normal situation, embarking on a big change of direction with the man chosen to lead the adventure already under pressure, languishing in the middle of the table with fans on the turn.
When Félix went straight to Graham Potter’s Fulham side after training just once with his new team since joining from Atlético Madrid, it seemed like another hasty move.
Certainly not one that would have been done with Chelsea up and running.
When he was sent off with less than an hour to play, for a desperate tackle to impress Kenny Tete early in the second half, it seemed like a terrible decision to have dumped a youngster with a point. to test directly in the heat of a Premier League derby against in-form opponents.
Until then, however, the 23-year-old had been all silk and not at all grumpy. Given the freedom to roam, he blinked into spaces left and right and dropped between the Fulham defensive lines.
Under pressure, Blues boss Graham Potter saw his side beaten 2-1 in the derby on Thursday.
His exemplary control, balance and speed from the mark earned him two yellow cards in the opening minutes. Chelsea fans quickly joined in.
The Portugal international broke away from Tim Ream to create the first chance of the game for teenager Lewis Hall and his name reverberated from the Putney End. Home fans were less impressed.
They soon realized that not much contact was needed to bring Felix down and were horrified to find referee David Coote blind to what they considered to be obvious.
‘What a waste of money’, they gloated when he volleyed in without knowing he was offside and they were excited about the red card, but overall Felix looked fresh and hungry.
Free from the demands of Diego Simeone and eager to remind Atlético why they paid £114m for him as a Benfica teenager.
Before, although he looked fresh and hungry, freed from the demands of Diego Simeone.
His raw quality was encapsulated in a flash of brilliance in the first half. Moving away from Tosin Adarabioyo with a flick between his own legs, he sped up to unleash a dangerous counterattack.
“There is no question of his ability,” said Joe Cole, on BT Sport. I think it will thrive here. He is a great player. He is a technician. He will adapt to Potter’s expansive style.
All true. They will embrace him at Stamford Bridge if he adds another dimension to their attacking options, but the red card means he will miss the next three games, against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Fulham again, through suspension.
It gets even more expensive in pounds per game. He also piles more pressure on Potter, whose team is overburdened by injuries and can’t really buy a break.
Despite all those lovely first touches, it’s a disastrous start to a desperate loan.