Julien Laurens says there is ‘no project’ at Chelsea as Todd Boehly wins the transfer race to sign Arsenal and Manchester United target, Joao Felix, from Atletico Madrid on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Perhaps not ‘win the race’ for Felix’s signature is the right way to put it, but as European football expert Laurens put it, Arsenal and Manchester United simply weren’t willing to pay the ‘absurd’ money Chelsea are putting down on the table for Graham Potter’s first capture.
Reports are emerging on Tuesday, that the deal for Felix is almost done with Chelsea paying a £9 million loan deal for the player, that’s not including his wages, by the way, which they are paying out in full.
Both Mikel Arteta and Erik ten Hag could do with forward players this month, for different reasons, but it’s clear that those at the Emirates and Old Trafford boardrooms are remaining level-headed.
Unless Felix well and truly smokes it up for a tenth-placed and struggling Chelsea side, then this could prove to be another signing where those in West London are using more money than brains.
Nonetheless, Laurens shared his thoughts on this upcoming deal and why the two-time European Cup winners are ‘wrong’ to make this loan happen, as he told ESPN.
“It’s very close, it was validated by Todd Boehly, the club and Jorge Mendes,” said Laurens. “The line they are trying to brief everybody is that he chose ‘the Chelsea project ahead of Arsenal or Manchester United’, which, let’s be honest here, there is no project here.
“Man United and Arsenal didn’t want to pay the absurd amount of money that this deal would cost for four months. It’s £20 million for Joao Felix, who is a top player there is no doubt.
“But he is a top player that would work in a team that is functioning, which isn’t the case of Chelsea football club right now. He’s not the answer, certainly not his own, to resolve all their attacking issues.
“It’s a lot of money, let’s hope for them it works. But I think if they think he is the answer, then I think they got that wrong.”
ARSENAL HAVE MADE THE RIGHT CALL
Someone like Felix would have suited the Premier League leaders, especially given that a fresh face needs to be brought in because Gabriel Jesus is injured.
But putting that sort of money down, and that just a short loan, is pretty made because if it goes wrong, then it will go very wrong.
Saying that, Felix is still a top talent and he has been crying out to play in a system that allows him to play further up the pitch, carry the ball and have runners working off him.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
