Arsenal have recently been linked with a move for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix, with the Gunners set to be in the market for a striker this summer.
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are interested in signing Felix from Atletico Madrid next summer, with the expected departures of Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah set to leave the Gunners with zero senior strikers in their squad.
Following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's move to Barcelona in January, the Gunners weren't able to sign a replacement for the former Gunners captain, leaving them a bit short in attack.
But, if Arsenal were to make a move for Felix in the summer, he won't come cheap, with Atletico looking to recoup as much of the £120 million they spent on the 22-year-old back in 2019.
Felix has failed to live up to the huge expectations on his shoulders after moving to the Wanda Metropolitano two-and-a-half years ago, with the forward grabbing just three goals and three assists so far this season, making the majority of his appearances from the bench. Not suited to the system played by Atletico boss Diego Simeone, a move away from Spain could be the best for Felix, but if he was to move to Arsenal, the Gunners would have to smash their current transfer record of £72 million on Nicolas Pepe to bring him to the Emirates.
So, if Felix was to make the move to Arsenal next summer, what sort of impact could he have on Arteta's side?
Could the Portuguese forward help Arsenal push for trophies?
We simulated next season with Joao Felix in the Gunners' squad and this is what happened.
We 'signed' Joao Felix for Arsenal in July 2022
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Felix to join Arsenal at the start of the summer 2022 transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation. This is how the 22-year-old's in-game profile looks on FM22 in July, 2022.
Let's take a look at how Felix performed throughout the 2022/23 season after signing for the Gunners in the summer. The versatile forward played a variety of positions under Arteta, ranging from both wings, striker, and attacking midfielder.
Felix made 52 appearances over the course of the season, and the majority of his appearances came as a striker, scoring 16 goals and grabbing 15 assists in that time, in what was a superb individual campaign.
The 22-year-old's creativity saw him finish as the Gunners' joint-top assister as well as the joint-top goalscorer at the club, averaging a rating of 7.25 per game in all competitions.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what Arsenal's best XI looked like at the end of the 2022/23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Arsenal best XI (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Gabriel, White, Tierney; Kessie, Partey; Sarabia, Odegaard, Saka; Felix.
Along with Felix, Arsenal signed AC Milan's Franck Kessie, Paris Saint-Germain's Pablo Sarabia and Watford's Joao Pedro, with the first two making the Gunners' best XI.
Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith-Rowe both missed out on the best XI, and compared to all the forwards in the Arsenal squad, Felix was the joint best, grabbing the same amount of goals and assists as Bukayo Saka.
Felix, Saka and Martin Odegaard all grabbed 15 assists each with the first two both ending the season on 16 goals, but Saka averaged the best rating per game at the club (7.54). After Saka and Odegaard, Felix averaged the third-best rating out of the Gunners forwards and midfielders, but interestingly, the Portuguese international never grabbed a Player of the Match award.
So, how did Arsenal perform in the league and cup competitions after signing Felix in the summer transfer window?
Arsenal's results from the 2022/23 simulation
Arsenal had an incredible season in the Premier League during the 2022/23 season, finishing just five points behind winners Man City and earning a second-place finish.
Arteta's side didn't lose any of their last 13 games in the Premier League, and despite a tough first half of the season, the Gunners accumulated 77 points whilst also finishing as the league's top scorers.
With Felix in the squad, Arsenal's season got even better, with a domestic trophy being won.
Goals from Ben White and Felix handed Arsenal a 2-0 win over Leeds in the Carabao Cup final, giving the Gunners their first trophy in the competition since 1993. Arsenal also reached the FA Cup final, but a disappointing performance handed Arteta's side a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle. They also went on a good run in the Champions League, but the Gunners lost 3-1 over two legs to Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Overall, if Felix was to sign for Arsenal in the summer, Football Manager 2022 predicts that the Portuguese forward could have an outstanding impact at the club, helping the Gunners to challenge for the league title, win a trophy and end the season as the top scorer and assister at the club.
Would you like to see Joao Felix sign for Arsenal? Let us know in the comments!
