Frank Lampard appears to agree with Diego Simeone’s doubts on Joao Felix after snubbing the Portuguese international for Chelsea's loss to Arsenal.
Former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was making just his fifth Premier League start for the Blues, and his first since before the World Cup. It was an evening to forget, though, and he managed just nine touches before making way for Kai Havertz at the break.
On loan Felix was conspicuous by his absence, an unused substitute throughout the game, not introduced by Lampard even when his side were chasing goals in the second half to claw their way back into a game that they eventually lost 3-1.
The forward is currently on loan at Stamford Bridge until the end of the season from Atletico Madrid, where he is under contract until 2027. The Spanish club are keen on a permanent sale while it is unclear if the Blues will sanction a permanent move this summer.
Felix’s exit was driven by his deteriorating relationship with Atleti boss Simeone, which was at the heart of the club’s struggles and loss of identity earlier this campaign. It was a clash that pitted the club’s record signing against the boss whose image has become synonymous with Atleti’s identity.
A temporary solution for the remainder of the season was struck – Felix will no longer be in the dressing room and the personality clash with Simeone has been removed.
However, with the Spanish side’s sharp upturn in form since Felix’s exit, Simeone is likely to stay and the Portugal international will be on the market.
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One of the key reasons for Felix’s lack of success in Madrid was his perceived to be his off the ball work, seen as insufficient for Simeone’s high demands of defending from the front.
Yet with a plethora of attacking options at Chelsea, alongside the impending arrival of Christopher Nkunku, means first-team opportunities are far from a foregone conclusion.
"There’s no doubt he has huge talent," Lampard said on Tuesday when speaking of the forward’s exclusion from the line-up. "That is really visible in training daily in those moments showing what he can do around the box.
"I think probably for me coming in I need to find a clear structure and a clear off-the-ball idea for how we work, and that’s the challenge with Joao.
"I agree, and if you ask him also he’s not definite - he wants to play here but he can also play here - which can be a plus at times but when he’s not definitely a nine, I need what looks like nine, for me, for the way I want to play. Those are the things that Joao needs to show, whether it’s here or wherever his future is, I don’t know that.
"As managers you rely on things you’re gonna get from players, that huge talent is something maybe we did have or didn’t have in different degrees, but he also has to have the work ethic, the team nature about him.
"I’m not saying he doesn’t have that because he’s played with Simeone - a coach that demands collectiveness - but at the same time finding his way here he has to understand in the short-term what I want, then he can show his talent once he does the other stuff."
