The 2 reasons Barcelona turned down the chance to sign Chelsea playmaker | OneFootball

Joao Felix left Chelsea for AC Milan on loan on deadline day, and last night the team were left lacking creatively as they lost to Brighton.

After the game, manager Enzo Maresca was asked whether he perhaps regretted moving on the playmaker, and denied it:

“I don’t think we miss Joao. Joao is happy there and we are happy Joao is happy there. We had two striker injuries on deadline day, it is something difficult to think. Nico [Jackson] can be back very soon,” the manager said in the post-game presser.

This has been interpreted in various places as a “vicious shot” at Felix and his contribution (or lack thereof) but we don’t really see it that way. Maresca’s point is more that even having Felix around yesterday wouldn’t have made much of a difference.

Knowing Maresca, he only would have subbed him on in the final few minutes anyway. So we take his point that it wasn’t a lack of the Portuguese playmaker that was the team’s issue in their defeat.

Barcelona turned down the chance to sign Felix for two reasons

Joao Felix celebrates a goal for AC Milan. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

What is best for Felix right now is playing every week, and he’ll be hoping to achieve that in Milan. It could have been a whole different setup too – Catalan paper Sport report today that Felix was offered to Barcelona by his agent Jorge Mendes.

Barca had him on loan from Atletico last year, and were considered a possible exit route for him again. But according to the article, Hansi Flick’s side had neither the budget nor the need for a player of his type.

Perhaps they will be one of the teams interested in a permanent deal this summer? A good spell with Milan and anything is possible.