Argentine coach Diego Simeone spoke on Sunday about the pre-season preparations of Portuguese international Joao Felix, with whom he is counting on playing his first game in the Spanish league, but whose playing time will depend on the match itself.
“As we have seen, he is doing well. His attitude is what any player in the team should have: dedicated, training the best and receptive to what is offered to him. From now on, he is competing with his other teammates and the game will show us how much time we can give him or not on Monday,” said the Atletico Madrid coach during the preview of the game against Villarreal.
Joao Felix’s succession at Madrid is in doubt, with a move to Chelsea under consideration and the Spanish and English clubs in talks to sign Conor Gallagher from the Blues, a striker also known to Benfica.
The Portuguese striker returned to normal training with the Colchoneros team this Sunday and has been registered in La Liga.
Felix was loaned out to Barcelona last season, meaning he has not played for the Madrid side since January 2023, when they also loaned him out to Chelsea in the 2022/23 winter market.
At Atletico Madrid, who signed him from Benfica in the summer of 2019 for more than 120 million euros, the Portuguese lost his place after allegedly clashing with the Argentine coach and then with the Colchoneros fans.