“I love it”- Chelsea star loving life at Stamford Bridge as summer exit beckons

Joao Felix is happy at Chelsea and enjoys playing in the Premier League

As quoted by The Athletic (subscription required), Joao Felix is happy to be at Chelsea and enjoys playing with freedom in the Premier League.

Chelsea signed Felix on a half-season loan from Atletico Madrid in the January window. They had to beat Arsenal and Manchester United to complete this transfer. The Portugal international has one goal in five appearances so far for the Blues in a period where the team is struggling for wins and goals.

Here’s what he said about playing for Chelsea and his freedom in the Premier League (h/t The Athletic):

“I think I needed it (the loan). When I left Atletico, I thought it was good for me and for them. So I think it was the perfect deal to try something different. I always tried to do my best and sometimes it didn’t work. So I had to change to see if things go different. I think this loan is important for me and I am very happy to play here.

“It’s a different kind of football, the league is different. The way the teams play in La Liga or Premier League is totally different. Chelsea is a team that likes to attack, has the ball, dominate the game. So that is the game I like to play. I feel very free to play here and as I like. I love it.”

It remains to be seen whether Felix would like to stay at Stamford Bridge if the club fails to qualify for the Champions League next season. He is obviously on loan from Atletico, but there will be a chance for Chelsea to sign him on a permanent deal in the summer.

The position the 23-year-old likes to play in could well be occupied by Christopher Nkunku, who is set to arrive from RB Leipzig after the end of this season. Moreover, if there is no Champions League football to offer, the club would be looking at cutting some costs, isn’t it?

We hope that Felix does well for the remainder of this campaign and gives us a definitive reason to keep him. It will be difficult to finish in the top four, hence the only hope of playing in the top-tier European competition next season is by winning it this time.

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The first step to do that will be to overturn a one-goal deficit against Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. It’s games like this where we will see whether Felix and co. can turn up and score the required goals to take us into the next round.