Breaking: Chelsea’s new boss doesn’t want Joao Felix at Chelsea, sends Portugal star back to Atletico Madrid

WHAT HAPPENED?

Pochettino, who was finally confirmed as the new Chelsea boss on Monday, has decided he does not want to keep Felix beyond the end of his loan deal with the Blues. The Portuguese star showed flashes of what he is capable of after recovering from a red card just 60 minutes into his debut but has ultimately failed to do enough to impress the incoming manager.

WHAT THEY SAID:

After Marca broke the news, Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo confirmed the Portuguese attacker would be returning to Spain. He said: “The truth is that I can’t tell you the plan with Joao. It’s the news we had yesterday, that the new coach doesn’t have him for Chelsea. We don’t have anything planned yet, Joao is an Atletico player now.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE:

The attacker scored four goals across 16 appearances for Chelsea as the Blues slumped to an all-time low points tally in the Premier League era. Felix is out of favour with Diego Simeone, with the attacker starting just seven league games for Atletico before joining Chelsea in January.

WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

One of the reasons behind Pochettino not wishing to bring Felix in on loan may be due to the Blues already having agreed a deal to sign Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. He looks set to be the first player through the doors at Stamford Bridge this summer ahead of what looks to be a busy window once again.