Joao Felix finally gets dream transfer after fall out with furious Diego Simeone
Barcelona have allowed Joao Felix to realise his dream after completing a deadline day swoop for the Portugal international.
Joao Felix joined Atletico Madrid in a club-record move back in 2019, but ended up falling out with manager Diego Simeone. He finished last season on loan at Chelsea, but didn't do enough to earn a permanent move to Stamford Bridge.
The former Benfica star has made no secret of his desire to join Barcelona, but the Catalan club's financial issues meant the switch was never a certainty. Now, after a long period of flirting with Barca which angered Atleti's boss, his exit is official.
“I’d love to play for Barça," Joao Felix said in a statement earlier in the summer. “Barcelona has always been my first choice and I’d love to join Barça. It was always my dream since I was a kid. If it happens, it will be a dream come true for me”.
Barcelona themselves recognised this desire in their announcement of the season-long loan deal. Their social media channels carried a collage of headlines with Joao Felix making clear his dream, before the club formally unveiled their new arrival.
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"The Club wishes to thank the player publicly for the financial effort made and his desire to wear the Barça shirt," an announcement statement read. Barcelona also confirmed there was no buy option included within the loan move.
How will Joao Felix get on at Barcelona? Have your say in the comments section
Joao Felix has left Atletico Madrid on loan for Barcelona (Pressinphoto/REX/Shutterstock)The forward's earlier comments didn't go down well with Simeone. The Argentine was the manager who brought him to the Spanish capital, but was insistent in his response to the 'dream' assertion.
"The most important thing is that none of us in the team is more important than Atletico de Madrid," Simeone said, per Goal. "Atleti is much more important than all of us.
"When we arrived at this club, the values and their way of working such as commitment, humility, and respect must be given by each one from the place we are until the day we are, but make it clear that there is nobody, but nobody, but nobody above Atletico Madrid."
One man likely to be pleased with the move is Robert Lewandowski. The Poland international has questioned the approach of manager Xavi, suggesting the boss hasn't been using enough attacking players, and Joao Felix can help in this regard after Barcelona let Ansu Fati join Brighton on loan.
"We are Barca and we are expected not only to win, but also to play good attacking football," Lewandowski told Mundo Deportivo. "Lately that has not been as it should be, so we have been fighting to create more chances in matches.
"When we see Ferran [Torres] or Ansu come on, two players who go forward, we create more chances. Sometimes we don't play with enough attacking players, I don't have support so I look for the best solution to the team."
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