Joao Felix has high expectations of new Chelsea team-mate Enzo Fernandez after the Argentina midfielder's record-breaking move to Stamford Bridge.
World Cup star Fernandez made a deadline day move to west London, with the Blues paying a British record £107m to land the ex-Benfica man. Felix was also subject of a nine-figure move away from the Portuguese side when he moved to Atleti back in 2019, but has yet to consistently hit the heights predicted of him.
Felix will play alongside his new colleague for the first time on Saturday, as he returns from suspension in time for Chelsea's trip to West Ham. He has already trained alongside Fernandez, though, and has tipped the South American to become one of the best in the business.
"He is a very good boy. He has entered the group very well," Joao Felix told AS (via football.london ).
"He arrived two days before a game and already started playing. He has been very good. He is a very good player.
"It is becoming more and more normal for amounts like this to be paid. Football has changed and it will be common for amounts of 80, 90, 100, 110 million to be paid.
"He deserves the money because he is a young player, he is very good and has a lot of room to evolve. He will surely be one of the best midfielders in Europe."
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Felix and Fernandez were part of a £200m spending spree for Chelsea in the winter window, with Mykhaylo Mudryk and Benoit Badiashile among the other arrivals to already taste Premier League action. Graham Potter's side have won just twice since returning from the World Cup, though, and a win at West Ham would be the Blues' first on the road since October.
"It’s great to have him back,' Potter said of Joao Felix in his pre-match press conference. "I think we all saw the impact that he had in his 60 minutes before the red card [on debut against Fulham ]. You could see his quality, I see it every day.
"He’s a player that I think can make a difference for us but at the same time it’s about helping him get into the team, get integrated into the team and to the team-mates around him and for him to understand what we’re trying to do, but the signs are really positive."
Chelsea beat West Ham 2-1 in the reverse fixture, in the final league game under Potter's predecessor Thomas Tuchel, with the Hammers having a late equaliser controversially ruled out after a VAR check. However, they lost at the London Stadium last term when a late Arthur Masuaku strike made the difference.
