“Imagine him & Osimhen on the attack”: Chelsea in talks to sign €50m player who plays like Eden Hazard “special talent”
Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s best scorer from the previous campaign, has inked a new contract. Palmer will try to maintain his level of play and lead Enzo Maresca’s Blues into a Champions League qualifying berth.
The purchase of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who has been strongly linked to Chelsea throughout the summer, could benefit Palmer and save him from any double-teaming he may encounter this season.
Osimhen played 2,476 minutes in 32 games in all competitions for Napoli last season, contributing four assists and 17 goals.
However, he’s not the only forward in the crosshairs of the recruitment team.
According to reports from Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are in negotiations with Atlético Madrid for attacker, João Félix. However, there has been no breakthrough yet in the talks.
Gallagher would move to Atlético Madrid, as part of a chain of events, if Chelsea can agree a deal for Felix, but for now, Gallagher has returned to London after the Samu Omorodion deal collapsed a few days ago.
Felix made 44 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona (on loan from Atlético Madrid) last season, scoring ten goals, providing six assists, and totalling 2,143 minutes played.
How Felix and Osimhen could work at Chelsea
Ex-Chelsea striker, Álvaro Morata, once described Felix as a “special talent” when speaking about him back in 2022, eluding to his ability to pick that “last pass”.
Felix has, of course, already played for Chelsea, joining on a six-month loan in January 2023, where he made 20 appearances for the Blues, scoring four goals in that time, and adorning the Chelsea side with his dazzling dribbling.
Felix excels as a carrier, with elegant footwork in tight spaces, the ability to receive the ball and retain possession, and wriggle out of awkward situations to make something out of nothing.
His ability to draw fouls is akin to an Eden Hazard or Jack Grealish, allowing him to win set pieces in the final third, and relieve pressure on his side when needed.
His 6.22 touches in the penalty area per 90 is another good sign, especially if you were to pair him with Osimhen, as together they would average 13.04 per 90. The Nigerian’s ability to win duels in the box, mixed with Felix’s instincts and tight ball control in the penalty area, could prove to be a recipe for success, especially if you are averaging that many box touches per game.
One of the Portugal international’s best assets is his volume shooting and ball-striking quality. Averaging 3.73 shots per 90, which ranks in the best 10% among forwards in the top five leagues, shows his confidence to get shots off and test the keeper.
Of course, with all big transfers there is a big risk, but adding a creative force like Felix to this Chelsea side, alongside a box dominator like Osimhen, could just be exactly what Chelsea need.