After Chelsea was unable to secure Joao Felix’s permanent signing, the player returned to Atletico Madrid at the beginning of the summer. He did not, however, figure in Diego Simeone’s plans, as he was sidelined for a large portion of the preseason.
Felix’s ties inside the team were already precarious, and when he revealed his intention to join rivals Barcelona, he ran the risk of destroying all of his relationships. It did, however, pan out, and in the closing days of the transfer window, he signed a loan deal to join the Catalans.
After the incident, Felix’s reputation at Atleti isn’t all bad. Samuel Lino still has a great opinion of the Portuguese, who he knew had to go during the summer, as he stated to Diario AS.
He believed that he had to alter. He wanted to take a different route, which is why he’s in Barcelona. I wish him the best of luck. I genuinely like him as a person and we got along great. He’s amazing.
When the two sides meet at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on December 3, two weeks from now, Lino and his Atletico Madrid will square off against Felix and Barcelona.