Chelsea legend Joe Cole says the Blues should go all-out to land on-loan livewire Joao Felix on a permanent deal.
Although the shopaholics at Stamford Bridge have already spent nearly £600 million on new players since owner Todd Boehly's takeover – including a £9.7m loan fee for Felix, plus wages – three-times title winner Cole believes the Portuguese forward should be their next purchase.
The BT Sport pundit needed only an hour's evidence, before Felix's debut red card at Fulham last month, to be convinced he would be a perfect fit for Chelsea in the long run. Cole said: “I'm a big fan of Felix – at Atletico Madrid, with their style of play, he was a fish in the wrong pond there.
“I saw enough, on his debut against Fulham, to think that Chelsea should be on the phone to his agent, trying to get that deal done. He looks a top player, with his best years ahead of him.
“People were so excited when Chelsea spent all that money on Enzo Fernandez and Mykhaylo Mudryk that they almost forgot about Felix while he was serving his ban.
“I'm not sure if he's a No.9 or a No.10 – he could be a nine-and-a-half – but he looks quick, powerful, scores goals and plays off the cuff. They should get in him full-time if they can.”
Felix will lead the charge in Chelsea's Champions League tie with Borussia Dortmund in Germany on Wednesday head coach Graham Potter's latest trial by public opinion after just three wins in 13 Premier League games.
Cole believes Potter would be more insulated from the criticism by the addition of a big-name assistant to his coaching think-tank. And he has not ruled out Chelsea going 'deep' into the Champions League if they survive the racket of Dortmund's famous Yellow Wall.
Cole, who won 56 England caps, said: “Graham has done very well – he wasn't brought in as an impact manager to crack heads together, he's come into a club where everything has changed: owners, manager, players, the lot.
“But I reckon he would benefit from having a coach who has played at that level within the set-up – like Petr Cech, Ashley Cole before he went to Everton or, going further back, Ray Wilkins... and I'm not pitching for a job, by the way!
“People don't realise how crucial Ray was in the tough times, God bless him, because he understood the game and his wealth of football wisdom was such an asset.
“Winning the Champions League would be an incredible achievement after the club has been through such massive upheaval. Through all that change, they needed to put the foundations in place and, sometimes, you have to take your medicine as a club while that happens.”
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