On February 5, Milan faced off against Roma in the Coppa Italia quarterfinal. Tammy Abraham gave Milan the lead going into the interval with a first-half brace against his parent club, but Artem Dovbyk would pull one back for the Giallorossi in the 54th minute.
Desperate to shore up the advantage, Milan manager Sérgio Conceição made two changes, with January arrival Santiago Giménez replacing Abraham, whilst João Félix came on for Christian Pulisic. Merely one day after joining on Chelsea, Félix was going to be thrown into the deep end. It took him precisely 13 minutes to make an impact, timing his run to perfection and dinking a lovely chip over Mile Svilar to secure a 3-1 win.
It seemed to be a perfect fit for a player who was in desperate need of new surroundings. Instead, it's proven to be anything but the case.
Born in Viseu, Portugal, Félix joined Benfica's academy in 2015, where he quickly rose through the ranks. Boasting world-class facilities and elite-level coaches such as Nikola Popović, Félix was able to ply his trade at one of the most esteemed academies in world football. And it's thanks to coaches like Popović that Félix delivered a meteoric rise for club and country.
Félix made his Benfica debut at the age of 17 and helped them win the 2018/19 league title, chipping in 15 goals and 6 assists in 26 league appearances. After just a few months with Benfica, the Portuguese forward joined Atlético Madrid for a club-record transfer worth €126 million, the fourth-most expensive transfer in football history.
He initially impressed with the Rojiblancos, winning the 2020/21 LaLiga title and the club's Player of the Season award in 2021/22. However, Félix would end up losing his place in the line-up and become their fifth-choice attacker behind Ángel Correa, Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata and Matheus Cunha. His relationship with Atleti manager Diego Simeone deteriorated even further on October 10 when Simeone asked him to warm up three times, only to leave him on the bench vs. Club Brugge.
Three months after that incident, Félix joined Chelsea on loan until the end of the campaign. He didn't quite get off to a strong start, however, and was sent off in the 58th minute of his debut vs. Fulham, causing him to receive a three-game ban. After managing just 4 goals in 20 appearances, Chelsea declined to sign him on a permanent deal. But rather than returning to his parent club, he was sent out on another loan to Barcelona.
Whilst he showcased glimpses of his extraordinary talent during his time in Barcelona, he wasn't quite able to deliver consistent performances or convince them of his merits. But whilst Barcelona refused to sign him, Chelsea elected to give him another shot and signed him for €52 million plus €5 million. Félix scored on his second Chelsea debut, a 6-2 win at Wolves, but it proved to be a false dawn. Six months after joining, Félix headed out on loan to Milan.
So far, it's proven to be another disappointing loan spell for the 25-year-old Portugal international, and it seems that Milan have already made their minds up about keeping him. Conceição and Félix both share the same agent -- the all-powerful Jorge Mendes -- but with Conceição's future uncertain, it seems unlikely that the Rossoneri will negotiate for a permanent deal.
Since that stellar debut vs. Roma, Félix has played eight matches for Milan...
Apart from helping to instigate an own goal in their recent win vs. Lecce, however, he hasn't made a single goal contribution. Between his lofty wages and his lack of end product, Milan may be inclined to avoid signing him on a permanent deal.
Milan could attempt to sign Félix next summer for around €45m or pay to extend his loan for another season, with a permanent transfer later of approximately €30m. But for all the impressive qualities that Félix does offer, like dribbling out of pressure and winning fouls, he simply isn't providing the contributions in the final third to justify the outlay.
After struggling to impress in a 2-1 defeat at Bologna, Félix has come off the bench in Milan's last two matches vs. Lazio and Lecce. His lack of defensive work rate has proven problematic for a manager who necessitates all of his players to chip in out of possession and do the dirty work to win the ball back, and he is also losing possession at an alarming rate due to his high-risk style of play.
Milan currently sit ninth in Serie A and are at risk of missing out on European football, but even if they do manage to stop the bleeding and qualify for UEFA competitions, Félix's £130,000-per-week wages may prove a stumbling block. In contrast to other high earners in Europe like Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann and Harry Kane, Félix simply doesn't contribute enough in the final third to justify his salary.
Six years after breaking onto the scene for Benfica and Portugal, Félix is hitting rock-bottom in his latest loan spell. He simply hasn't evolved and taken the next step from wonderkid to superstar, and he finds himself on the verge of switching clubs yet again. One month after landing in Milan, Félix is already preparing to pack his bags and take his talents to a new team.
