It’s been a very busy transfer window for Chelsea, who have already signed nine players this summer. The latest player to walk through the Stamford Bridge – Joao Felix – could have repercussions on the club’s pursuit of Victor Osimhen.
Felix is still only 24 but has been playing at a professional level for half a decade now, having debuted for Benfica’s senior team in 2018. Question marks over his game have always remained, though, with different managers unsuccessful at unlocking his best form.
The Portugal international became the fourth most expensive player in the world when he joined Atletico Madrid for a €126 million fee in 2019, but has consistently failed to justify that hefty price tag.
His talent has always been evident but, for both club and country, he has become some sort of a weird outlier – the skill and potential is there but managers struggle to find the perfect position for him. A striker, winger, false nine, playmaking number 10 or even a second striker, he’s played in all these positions and made none his own.
Chelsea’s lack of prolific striker makes Victor Osimhen a viable option
That suggests that, although Felix is an upgrade on many of Chelsea’s current attackers, he’s not a solution to the team’s struggles in front of goal. The Blues have lacked a prolific striker for some time now and had to overly rely on Cole Palmer for goals last season.
The former Atletico Madrid man scored 10 goals in all competitions on loan at Barcelona last season and found the back of the net just four times the last time he was on loan at Chelsea. By contrast, transfer targer Victor Osimhen has been consistently producing great numbers in the last five years.
The Nigeria international scored 18 goals in all competitions at Lille before securing a move to Napoli and has since contributed 10, 18, 31 and 17 goals respectively, in his four years in Italy. Chelsea have already spent so much in the transfer market but their lack of a prolific striker means Osimhen remains a viable option.
Any potential transfer won’t come cheap, especially with Napoli holding out for a fee in excess of €100 million, but it’s also not entirely impossible as Romelu Lukaku, who’s still a Chelsea player, is desperately wanted by the Partenopei.
Can Joao Felix and Victor Osimhen play together?
Should Chelsea manage to secure the services of Osimhen, it would be a massive coup and would give Enzo Maresca’s side a huge boost. It is still not certain where Maresca intends to play Felix but the Portuguese could form a great partnership with Osimhen up front.
Felix likes to play off a striker and is excellent at progressing the ball and creating chances. Given the wonderful telepathy that Osimhen had with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at Napoli, Felix could be his Kvaratskhelia at Chelsea.
Although the 24-year-old is versatile and can play in all the forward positions, he’s usually at his best when he plays on the left flank. That is where he made his name coming through the Benfica academy and his best spells have often come in that position.
In a 2023 interview with SPORT, Felix admitted that he felt “comfortable starting from the left wing.” As fate would have it, the Blues haven’t had a competent left winger for some time now, with Raheem Sterling banished to the reserves while Mykhailo Mudryk has badly struggled since moving to England.
Christopher Nkunku played on the left in Chelsea’s Premier League opening-day defeat against Manchester City, but the Frenchman would also be better served playing behind the striker. For many clubs, Felix’s signing would've signalled an end to their pursuit of other attacking targets but a desperate club like Chelsea doesn’t have that luxury.
The Portugal international may yet be the player who best complements Victor Osimhen if he does sign, and vice versa.