Only eleven games into Joao Felix’s loan at AC Milan, the Italian media has already expressed their opinions about the striker. After making an impression with a goal on his debut, the Portuguese attacker, who joined the team from Chelsea in January, has failed to score since.
Due to his difficulties, he has already been demoted to a lower position on the team; in his last four games, he has either come off the bench or failed to play past the hour mark. He has also experienced teammate Kyle Walker’s fury. Now, the Italian media has not held back in its opinions about the 25-year-old, who has been gushing about players like Scott McTominay this season.
Italian Media Slam Joao Felix
It is claimed that the striker will not return following his loan spell
Tutto Mercato has stated that the only certainty to emerge from Felix’s loan term is that it will not be made a permanent agreement due to his bad performances thus far. This is in response to Felix’s continued poor performance in Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Napoli, when he started on the left-hand side. Felix was allegedly expected to contribute right away after joining the team, particularly as one of the high-profile additions for new manager Sergio Conceicao, but he hasn’t done so yet.
The move was called a “disaster” in another report, which also claimed that the striker’s loss in Naples was his final opportunity to establish his value, which he was unable to do. Furthermore, it was observed that Rafael Leao’s arrival midway through the match only served to highlight Felix’s lack of wealth because his countryman brought a different level of intensity and vitality to the match than the former Atletico Madrid player did.
But according to a different article by Tutto Mercato, the former Benfica player’s problems are not entirely his fault, since it is believed that his £113 million transfer to Atletico in 2019 is primarily to blame. It is said that Diego Simeone’s team overpaid for the youngster, placing undue pressure on him, and that the club selection was poor for a young attacker because Simeone like to play defence.
Felix’s Performance vs Napoli by Numbers
It was a poor showing for the loanee
🗣️ Fabio Capello spoke to @Gazzetta_it: "I didn’t understand Conceição’s choices: Joao Felix starting against a high-intensity team like Napoli, and Leao on the bench. Hmm…” pic.twitter.com/WpmN95fzAI
— Milan Posts (@MilanPosts) March 31, 2025
Felix’s performance barely validated Conceicao’s reasoning, as his position in the starting lineup against Napoli was already under scrutiny. He played just one crucial pass entire evening and managed to create zero opportunities, thus even though he was accurate with 100% of his passes, very few of them resulted in dangerous situations.
Because he was never taking enough chances to lose possession, he actually didn’t lose possession at all due to his complete lack of participation in the game. Even though the home team had more of the ball, he did not contribute to the defence either, committing one foul and making just one block.
Stats of Joao Felix against Napoli
Minutes
55
Feelings
20
Passes (Finished)
18 (18)
Opportunities Generated
0
Anticipated Helps
0.03
Shots
0
An Attempt at Dribbles
0
Duels on the Ground (Won)
Two (1)
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