Arsenal left-back Nuno Tavares appeared to mock Chelsea’s new signing Joao Felix after he endured a debut to forget against Fulham on Thursday (January 12) night. The Portuguese attacker was sent off after a reckless challenge on Kenny Tete.
Felix went in studs first on Tete in the 58th minute and was shown a red card for his troubles, marking a nightmare start to life for the Atletico Madrid loanee.
The 23-year-old was linked with a move to Arsenal before deciding to join Chelsea in a loan deal worth around £8.8 million. Tavares, who’s on loan at Marseille from the Gunners, appears to have made a joke at Felix’s expense. He tweeted:
“Joao Felix. What a player anyway.”
It was a sorry end to what was looking like an impressive debut for the Blues forward. He was threatening Fulham before his sending off. The Portuguese is only set to be a Chelsea player for six months. However, he’s now set to miss the next three fixtures for the Blues because of suspension.
Graham Potter already has plenty of issues to deal with at the moment at Stamford Bridge. Injuries are building up, with Denis Zakaria becoming the latest player to pick up an issue. Felix’s suspension-enforced absence comes as a massive blow.
The Blues trailed Fulham in the 25th minute when their former winger Willian opened the scoring with a deflected effort. Kalidou Koulibaly equalised in the 47th minute from close range.
Potter’s men seemed to be turning the tide before Felix was given his marching orders. Fulham capitalised on their numerical advantage through Cartlos Vinicius in the 73rd minute. Chelsea remain tenth in the standings after 18 games, with their fifth loss in seven outings.
Ally McCoist stunned by Chelsea paying £10 million to sign Arsenal target Felix
The Blues beat Arsenal to the loan signing of Felix, but their decision to pay a £10 million fee to Atletico has been met with bemusement. Rangers legend McCoist can’t understand why the Blues would pay such a fee for the Portuguese
McCoist told talkSPORT:
“I’ve got to say I can’t believe we’re paying £10m for a loan now – absolute madness. I like Joao Felix, (but) I don’t think he’s the answer to Chelsea’s problems. They need a centre-forward. Plus, I don’t think he’s consistent enough.”
He continued:
“I watched him closely at the World Cup, and I thought he did some brilliant things. I thought he had one or two good games. But he’s one of those players, for me; he just leaves you wanting a little bit more.”
Felix started his first game for Potter’s side despite only joining the club a day before. He made 20 appearances for Atletico, scoring five goals and providing three assists.