+18 or +21, depending on state | Commercial Content | T&C's Apply | Play Responsibly | Publishing Principles
Joao Felix Milan 2025Getty Images

'He's not a leader' - Joao Felix criticized by AC Milan legend for lacking 'mental strength' as Chelsea loanee told which club he should join next

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

  • Felix savaged by Desailly
  • Portuguese striker lacks 'mental strength'
  • Felix told to Chelsea in the summer
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Chelsea signed Felix permanently from Atletico Madrid for a fee in the region of £45.5 million (€53m/$59m) last summer, but sent him out on loan to AC Milan in the January transfer window after the Portuguese striker started in just three Premier League matches.

  • Advertisement
  • Joao FelixGetty Images Sport

    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Felix hoped to revive his career and regain his long-lost form in the Serie A after the January move, but the Portugal international is yet to cement his place in the Rossoneri's starting lineup. Former AC Milan and Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly took a dig at the 25-year-old striker as he named the ideal club where Felix should join next summer.

  • WHAT MARCELO DESAILLY SAID

    Speaking to Milan Presse, the World Cup-winning French defender said, "Joao Felix is a player with great talent, but he has still not found his place. He’s been at Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, and now Milan without making any real impact. At this moment of his career, he needs a club with a clear philosophy that can build its project around him, put him at ease to express his potential that we still haven’t really seen. I would suggest Paris Saint-Germain.

    "‘What Joao Felix lacks is not technique, but character. He is not a leader. At this moment, he is not what Milan need, because he lacks the mental strength to revive the Rossoneri. And vice versa."

  • AC Milan v Fiorentina - Serie AGetty Images Sport

    WHAT NEXT FOR AC MILAN?

    Sergio Conceicao's side will be back in action in the Serie A on April 20 as they take on Atalanta at home.