Last chance at Barca? - João Félix joins on loan from Atletico Madrid

João Félix has found a new club on deadline day. Barcelona have reached an agreement with Atlético Madrid to loan the Portuguese attacking midfielder until the end of the season. The transfer will be a straight-up loan without an option to buy. 

Atlético Madrid signed Félix for a club record €127.2 million from Benfica in 2019, but the attacking midfielder never truly fulfilled the expectations that came with a transfer fee that to this day is the fifth-highest fee in football history. Félix managed just six goals and one assist in 27 LaLiga games during his first year in Spain. The second campaign was slightly better, with seven goals and six assists in 31 games. Then, in 2021/22, Félix managed eight goals and four assists in 24 games. That season, Félix suffered a complicated ankle injury, and the Portuguese never seemed to regain his footing at Atleti and was loaned out to Chelsea halfway through last season. 

That loan move to Chelsea, however, was a disaster. "Sent off under an hour into his Chelsea debut, João Félix continued to fail to fulfill expectations in the Premier League," Transfermarkt Area Manager UK Daniel Bush said. "Although he often showed glimpses of his enormous potential, the Portugal international lacked consistency and struggled in an unsettled team. He was at the wrong club at the wrong time and probably had better chances to revive his career at Barcelona." Félix managed just four goals in 16 Premier League games for Chelsea. 

João Félix to Barcelona – Last chance to become an elite player

Whether João Félix will work out at Barcelona is now up to head coach Xavi. The Spaniard will be the first coach in four years to get the best out of Félix. Whether it was Diego Simeone, Fernando Santos, Frank Lampard, or Graham Potter, none of those coaches managed to get Félix going. 

"I think João has to prove that he is a good player," Transfermarkt Content Manager Spain Iván Fuentes said. "This is his last chance to be an elite player. Maybe Xavi's system (4-3-3) suits him better, but above all, he has to learn and understand the game, when to accelerate, and when to play with his teammates. His biggest problem is not his technical condition or how much he has to run after the ball, but his ability to understand the game." Indeed, Barcelona could very well be Félix's last opportunity to show that he is more than just a failed wunderkind.