doomed to negotiate down or be under pressure at the market end | Relief
Since João Felix left Atletico Madrid to finish 2022-23 season at Chelseahis relationship with the club It caused nothing but problems. The very high price of his signing made the sports council want to extend his contract, and right now he has a contract until 2029. Why would they extend it if they don’t need it? Well, because the 120 million it cost is not paid all at once, at the beginning, but is spread over all the seasons he spends at the club. So the more years, the less money it will take to pay off.
If you combine this situation with the open conflict that the Portuguese has with his coach Cholo Simeone, it means that Atletico could lose everything when it comes to negotiating an exit for him. The Argentine coach doesn’t even want to see him. If possible, even in the pre-season, although it seems he will have no choice. Last summer he even traveled with the entire team during the summer pre-season to Mexico and the USA. A footballer with a valid contract always has the opportunity to fulfill what is signed, and there, with the current legislation, the worker has everything to win.
Atletico Madrid in extreme situation I would have to include him in the group, I would have to practice with everyone and record him. That is: swallow a toad having a super high paid player that the coach won’t count on and who will be a constant problem to coexist with in the locker room.
That’s why his departure is always delayed. His farewell on the last market, going on loan to Barcelona, happened shortly before closing time. Any representative or sporting director who speaks to the Rosy Blancos to talk about João knows that time is on his side.If now it costs 20 and takes 7 million net (for example), then from August 25 the situation will overlap by itself and prices will drop sharply.
Neither side wants to see Joao Felix in red and white this season, but the player has the opportunity to decide where he wants to go on loan and how. But: he keeps his (very) good contract, which the club is obliged to fulfill, and that’s it“At the moment he is enjoying a holiday with the national team and he is a great player, I always say that. He will be successful wherever he goes. We will have to wait to see what happens and what the player wants. At the moment we are waiting for him because he is one of our players, but I have told you before: players play where they want,” Enrique Cerezo said today, managing ambiguity as always, so as not to clarify anything, but to slip in that “he will be successful wherever he goes.”
Benfica, Emery or Lopetegui…
For several months now, there have been rumours about the interest of several clubs in the Portuguese: from Benfica even want to fish in the turbulent rivers of coaches like Emery or Lopetegui…but at a distance, without showing much interest. A “hard game” in the negotiating strategy, in which they know that the closer they get to August 31, the easier it will be for them. Or some other, more or less bizarre plan that his agent Jorge Mendes must pull out of the hat, such as his statements last year about Barcelona forcing an agreement.
What power does Atletico have left when it comes to negotiating with a player that everyone knows about, and that neither his coach nor his fans want? Market appears to be condemning rojiblancos to borrow at the last minute, to at least save the salary or sell it early and save themselves from the problem they had been facing for two seasons.