Chelsea is not the 'perfect place to shine' for Joao Felix - £45.5m man shouldn't even be in the Blues' best XI after bombing in La Liga

Felix is the 43rd signing Chelsea have made under the Boehly-led ownership regime, which has now invested over £1.5 billion ($2bn) on new players since purchasing the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022. The Portugal international is the 10th new arrival in the current transfer window alone, and he's committed to a six-year contract after cutting ties with Atletico, which helped to facilitate Conor Gallagher's departure in the opposite direction.

Maresca attempted to justify the capture of Felix by highlighting his versatility, telling reporters: "I think the good thing about Joao is he can play in different positions with us. He can play inside, he can play as a No.9, he can play outside.”

The problem is, Chelsea are already fully stocked in those positions, as Jamie Carragher pointed out when reacting to the deal on 'Monday Night Football'. "Tell me where he's going to play," the exasperated Liverpool legend exclaimed on Sky Sports. "They signed [Pedro] Neto a week ago, where's he going to play when you've already got Cole Palmer? Where would you play Enzo Fernandez, a £100m player who plays as a No.10? Where would you play [Christopher] Nkunku?"

Would Chelsea fans really want Felix to play ahead of any of those players? Neto cost more, and is a far better dribbler, while Palmer is the biggest goal threat in the team. Fernandez has flattered to deceive since his record switch from Benfica, but is still considered a great future prospect, and has just been made vice-captain.

There is no guarantee Felix will even be the first man off the bench, with Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke also currently fighting for minutes in forward positions, while Nicolas Jackson is improving up front, though the Blues are still battling to sign Victor Osimhen to upgrade on the Senegal international before the window closes.

Felix was certainly in need of a fresh start after stagnating at Atletico, but he isn't going to get the continuity he craves at Chelsea given the fight for starting roles.

Chelsea supporters have not reacted with any level of excitement to Felix's return, because the Benfica academy graduate has already failed his Premier League audition. Atletico sent him to Stamford Bridge on a short-term loan deal in January 2023, and he managed just four goals in 16 appearances, while failing to record a single assist.

Felix was sent-off on his debut against Fulham for a reckless foul, which set the tone for a largely underwhelming six months. While it is true that he joined a Chelsea squad completely devoid of confidence, with the Blues ultimately finishing the 2022-23 season down in 12th after three managerial changes, there was no excuse for his lack of end product.

Chelsea only won four of the 20 games Felix played in all competitions. According to Sky Sports, he completed just 10.4 final-third passes per 90 minutes, which put him 17th in the squad rankings, and he was down in 26th for ball recoveries.

It wasn't all bad, though. Only one Chelsea player completed more take-ons than Felix during his first spell at the club, and he stood out with his technical quality and willingness to take risks on the ball. There are few forwards in the game with better vision and control than Felix, but his ability has never been in doubt.

Chelsea signed him to make a decisive impact, and he failed. There was no outcry of anger when the club didn't attempt to sign Felix outright. And 12 months on, he is still mostly style over substance, which makes the Blues' decision to reignite their interest all the more baffling.

Felix was forced to train with the reserves upon his return to Atletico and then risked the wrath of club officials and fans by publicly revealing his "dream" was to join Barcelona. The mercurial attacker eventually got his wish on the final day of the summer transfer window as he sealed a season-long loan switch to Catalunya, after agreeing a contract extension with Atletico through to 2029.

Atleti had hoped that renewal would allow them to recoup most of their original investment in Felix at the end of the loan, and it initially looked like their plan might come to fruition as Felix settled in quickly at Barca on the left wing, registering three goals and two assists in his first four appearances.

But he couldn't sustain that level of performance. Felix saw his playing time gradually reduced under Xavi, and ended the campaign with just 22 starts to his name. There were the customary moments of magic we've all come to expect from Felix, and he even bagged two goals in La Liga wins over his parent club, but as usual, didn't show enough resolve to make himself indispensable.

"Joao has talent, but we already talked about this four years ago and in all the clubs he has been in he has not managed to play," former Portugal midfielder Maniche said to Diario AS in June. "He appears in 10 games, then not; then a little more, then not at all. He is very inconsistent. Joao must change his mentality, be more competitive. We all want that. He must achieve stability, also emotionally."

In the end, Atletico had to accept a huge loss on Felix. The man originally billed as the next Cristiano Ronaldo played just 131 games in four seasons for Los Rojiblancos, and surpassed 30 La Liga appearances in only one of those campaigns. Felix did rack up a respectable haul of 48 goal involvements, but he never really adapted to Diego Simeone's preferred system, and certainly didn't do enough to justify his huge price tag.

"The most important thing is that none of us in the team is more important than Atletico Madrid," Simeone said in response to Felix issuing a come-and-get-me plea to Barcelona last year. "The values and their way of working such as commitment, humility, respect must be given by each person, but make it clear that there is no one, but nobody above Atletico Madrid."

Simeone's words went in one ear and out the other, as Felix would later admit he "prefers" Barcelona's style of play. The enigmatic Portuguese had made similar comments on loan at Chelsea, but didn't reach the heights expected at those clubs either, which suggests he was always the problem, not Simeone.

If Chelsea are to come through this extended transitional period and re-emerge as contenders for the top trophies, they need everyone pulling in the same direction. Adding an egotistical, immature figure like Felix back into the mix could be counter-productive, because his disruptive side will come out if he finds himself stuck on the bench again after a few bad games.

Felix has also touched down in west London on the back of an awful Euro 2024 campaign. The Chelsea new boy was an unused substitute in three of Portugal's five games as they eventually crashed out on penalties against France in the quarter-finals.

Les Bleus scored all of their penalties to win 5-3, with Felix the only player to miss the target in the shootout. He was also awful during Portugal's shock group-stage loss to minnows Georgia, after which Manchester United legend Roy Keane described him as a "fizzy drink".

The fact is this: Felix hasn't been reliable enough to stay a regular for any of his clubs or his country up to this point. So why have Chelsea taken this unnecessary gamble?

Goals might be the main reason, as the Blues have become too reliant on Palmer to deliver those since his arrival from Manchester City last summer. It doesn't come naturally to him, but Felix has played through the middle on various occasions and can be a composed finisher with both feet.

Maresca might be thinking of using Felix as an alternative to Jackson, who has not yet developed the same clinical edge in front of goal, for all his promising work in Chelsea's build-up play. But it would make more sense to give former RB Leipzig sharpshooter Nkunku a run in that No.9 role if Jackson continues to frustrate.

And what about Marc Guiu? The ex-Barcelona striker is is the perfect fit for Chelsea's new transfer model as a promising teenager with a high resale value, and supporters will want to see him given a fair shot to prove his worth.

If Maresca insists on including Felix from the off, the best option would be to switch from his typical 4-3-3 set-up to a 4-2-3-1, with the Portugal star occupying the No.10 slot. Jackson, Nkunku or Guiu would be free to lead the line with Neto and Palmer flanking Felix, while Fernandez drops back next to Moises Caicedo at the base of the midfield.

Felix is adept at finding pockets of space behind enemy lines and will look to play incisive passes that stretch defences. Discipline off the ball has long been one of Felix's weak points, too, but this particular system would give him the freedom to roam and serve as Chelsea's main link-man in the final third.

It would be a big surprise if Maresca goes to such lengths to accommodate Felix, though, because the former Leicester boss wants to dominate possession with inverted full-backs and press high. It's more likely that Felix will battle with Neto for minutes on the left wing, which probably won't go down well with the Chelsea faithful.

Neto has the potential to be a game-changer for the Blues, as long as he stays fit. He proved he can cut it in the Premier League at Wolves and could do some serious damage with top-class players around him, so it would be a real shame if he is forced into the background by Felix.

The first leg of Chelsea's Europa Conference League play-off tie against Servette will come too soon for Felix, but he could make his second Premier League debut for the club away at Wolves on Sunday. That is shaping up to be a must-win fixture for Maresca after a humbling opening-weekend defeat to champions Manchester City, which saw Chelsea waste a series of promising opportunities on the counter.

It remains to be seen if Felix can give the Blues the injection of quality they need, but he's certainly talking a good game. "I’ve developed as a player in a lot of ways: the perception of the game, and the spaces the ball can arrive easily where I can make more impact," he added to the club's media channels. "I try to figure it out by watching some videos of me of my games. I’ve kind of changed since I was last here. I’m 24 now. I’ll be 25 in November. I feel like I grew up as a player. That’s normal with age. I’m more prepared for the Premier League."

Felix has to back up those words, because he won't get another chance at a top club if he fails. He has to start unlocking his full potential, which will be tougher than ever before now that he's re-entered the most chaotic dressing room in world football.