Chelsea could offer second chance to Portuguese forward

Yesterday, Chelsea received some devastating news regarding Christopher Nkunku and the injury he picked up in preseason. The French attacker is now expected to be out for up to 16 weeks, according to Fabrizio Romano, which means Mauricio Pochettino and the Blues’ plans for the attack have been dashed for the time being.

To make matters worse, Chelsea’s depth in attack has been looking thinner and thinner as of late. Raheem Sterling has seriously struggled, the club’s plans for Armando Broja aren’t yet clear, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, and Christian Pulisic are all gone, and Nkunku will now be out for nearly half of the season. However, one player from last season’s group of misfit toys could return to Stamford Bridge out of necessity.

Window opens for Joao Felix to return to Chelsea

Chelsea signed Joao Felix on loan on 11 January, and his performance was neither here nor there. The Portuguese forward scored four times in 20 games with the Blues, and five times in 20 games with Atletico Madrid. As has been the story of his career, Felix has the talent to give more than that. But, it’s hard to judge a player who has been managed by Graham Potter, Frank Lampard, and Diego Simeone. Pochettino is certainly better than those three, so it’s possible we’ve yet to see the best of Felix in Blue.

Bringing the 23 year old back to Chelsea was already a consideration earlier in the summer, but Pochettino denied a move that would have seen Felix move to London permanently. At this point though, the young forward is not returning to Atletico this year, which could leave the door open for a Blues return should Pochettino approve a loan move.

Obviously, Moises Caicedo is still Chelsea’s priority at this stage, but his signature only addresses the midfield. If the club wants to compete with the big dogs and maintain their aspirations for European football next year, the attack cannot remain as is until December, or whenever Nkunku returns. A Felix signing could prove to be a shrewd bit of business, and could certainly perform better now without Havertz and Mount around him eating up his space.