“We were not in the race to sign Joao Felix because it was very difficult to convince a player like him,” Unai Emery said bravely. “Because now it’s bigger than us. “
It was March 2023 and Aston Villa aspired, in Emery’s words, to a more sensible 10. Fears of relegation had dissipated and Villa, albeit timidly and in the early stages of the “Emery Project,” was looking upwards.
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The Spaniard, a staunch defender of Joao Félix, unlike his Atlético de Madrid coach, Diego Simeone, had wanted to sign him two months earlier.
Villa, however, could not offer the monetary package or the Champions League aspirations that Joao Felix wanted. Instead, he turned to Chelsea, joining a six-month loan that he would flatter to the point of deception. It was a sign that Emery’s ambitions did not fit Villa’s position.
“He’s a special player and it wasn’t entirely unlikely for us (to sign him), however, he was looking to play for a team in the Champions League,” Emery said. “We are realistic about how we can and how we can incorporate players into our team. He has a high salary and Chelsea paid a lot of money for it.
“I like him, but we’ve never been in competition for him. He can help, score passes, pass deep to build and can play in small spaces and get into the box. It’s special.
“Our concept is to shorten the distance between them (a club like Chelsea) and get closer to them in one, two or three years. Spend money like them? No! But I strive to be consistent and achieve this in our work.
It is a compliment for Villa that, 16 months later, the wagons have turned around João Félix and with greater confidence in the 24-year-old. That “distance” that Emery spoke of has been shrinking.
The departure of Moussa Diaby, who struck a €60m ($50. 6m) deal with Al Ittihad, has exacerbated the preference for Joao Felix or a quality skill that can sit right behind Ollie Watkins.
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Joao Felix considers that his most productive position is that of the ’10’, despite playing in recent years as a false nine or on any flank. And as Emery is a coach who has a very explained mandate for his No. 10s, a source close to a player who plays in that position, speaking anonymously to relations, describes the accuracy the coach expects from owners as “detailed beyond imagination”. João Félix would have strong support.
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This has not been the case since his £113m arrival at Atlético Madrid in July 2019. Simeone’s disciplinary and tactically restrictive taste is at odds with the then 19-year-old’s expression, while the establishment’s religion and Atlético’s deeper hierarchy seemed superficial. . Array And even when Joao Félix joined Barcelona on loan last summer, that resolution was driven by president Joan Laporta and not head coach Xavi, who is known to have serious doubts about the player’s qualification.
Atlético would rather sell Joao Félix than loan him out again, getting everything imaginable out of the £113m they bought him for. Two loans did little to resolve the schisms in the stylistic mismatch between the player and Simeone’s authoritarian manner.
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“He’s had talent, (but) it’s hard for him to get past a few meters back,” Simeone said last November. “Whatever goes well for Joao, at Atletico we will be satisfied because it will be bigger for the club. “
A definitive break is necessary, even if he has 3 years left on his contract. Atletico expect him to return for his pre-season education next week following his involvement with Portugal’s Euro squad and talks will continue with his agent, Jorge Mendes, over his long-term.
Villa’s salary-to-turnover ratio (the percentage of cash spent on workers’ salaries) stood at 89 per cent in 2022 and 2023, the fourth highest in the Premier League. Diaby’s departure, as well as the riches of the Champions League and the sales of new players would leave room for manoeuvre in terms of salary and budget of movements at Villa.
The replaceable members of the team, adding Lucas Digne or Alex Moreno, Leander Dendoncker and Jhon Durán, would lose budget for a player of Felix’s caliber, as well as for other target positions, with a right-back out out of the question.
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The delay in Duran’s return to pre-season comes after Colombia reached the Copa America final and a decision will be made on his future, with West Ham United among those interested. Durán is a technically precocious talent, but problems have arisen related to his attitude and distance.
Although more publicized, Joao Felix finds himself in a similar situation to Duran: a unique skill with a distinct personality on the field that doesn’t fit the formal nature of the trendy game. Although Emery, although deeply systematic in his principles, allows himself offensive license in certain spaces of the field. Last season, for example, only five Premier League groups had more matches.
Emery’s pictorial framework in creating the numbers 10 in Villa is evident. January signing Morgan Rogers has blossomed more temporarily than he or the club expected, while Jacob Ramsey, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans have been retooled and subtle to work between the lines. On a side note, Joao Felix is keen to take the consequences for his club’s team: a void that Villa will want to fill after Douglas Luiz’s departure to Juventus.
Both sides have features on the table. Villa has other objectives, while the foreigner from Portugal has the option of returning to Benfica or Barcelona: Barça has a gap of 100 million euros in its 2023-2024 accounts, which means that now it cannot sign anyone or even some of their own players.
In any case, Joao Félix is an uninterrupted option and marks Villa’s maximum status. There would possibly be doubts over a player who has worked hard to regain the early form of his career but, as is the case with most of the targets he seeks to sign, Emery is confident in his ability to recalibrate Joao Felix.
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(Top photo: David S. Bustamante/Socrates/Getty Images)