Arsenal have recently been linked with Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix as they look to bolster their attacking options. Felix moved to the Madrid club in 2019 for over £100m but has struggled to settle since his mega-money switch.
The Gunners will be in dire need of a striker if Alexandre Lacazette doesn't sign a new contract and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is moved on after recently being stripped of the captaincy.
The Arsenal Way presenter and writer Bailey Keogh (BK) spoke to editor Chris Davison (CD) on Friday morning’s Arsenal Agenda show to dicsuss whether Mikel Arteta should continue to pursue a move for Felix.
CD: “It’s certainly an exciting and intriguing link, to say the least. He’s got a lot of potential and he’s still very young.
“I think it’s been the case with a lot of players who moved to Atletico Madrid. He's played under [Diego] Simeone, who has a very particular way of playing. He’s got unique systems in his Madrid side. A lot of players have gone there and it’s taken them a while to adapt.
“Some haven’t adjusted to the way Simeone plays and sets them up. Obviously, our very own Lucas Torreira has moved over there and struggled at times.
“I think despite Felix’s struggles since he made that big move, you’ve got to take into consideration that it’s a new country, new team and set-up. It’s a massive change in managers as well given the character and personality of Simeone.
“I must admit, I haven’t seen much of him recently. I had a feeling that he was starting to kick on a little bit, eventually he's been a much more prominent figure in the team.
“It’s interesting, he won’t come cheap that's for certain. If Arsenal are genuinely interested they won't be the only club interested in him. With a player like Joao Felix, the first thing that comes to mind is Champions League football.
“He’s going to want Champions League football and a club who are competing for big trophies. At the moment, we obviously can’t guarantee him that at the end of this season.
“It reiterates the need and the urgency for us to finish in the top four as soon as possible.
“We’ve brought top quality players in without Champions League football over the last few years, but it would certainly give us a big boost, let’s put it that way. In terms of convincing these players to join us and convincing them that this is the right club for them.
“Joao Felix is an exciting link but it’s still early days at the moment. Would you be willing to cough up that type of money?
"I’m not sure what fee he is being linked with but I can envision it being 50, 60, 70 or £80m. I think Arsenal fans and myself have all settled on the fact that we will get a striker eventually.
“There are plenty of options out there, so no need to sweat over one name in particular. I think it’s just a case of Mikel and Edu looking at the options they have.
BK: “I think he would be an excellent signing for Chelsea. As you mentioned, Champions League football is imperative.
“But also, he's definitely the type of striker that we haven’t been linked with in the past. Joao Felix is more of a false nine and that would be interesting to see because Arteta would likely be looking at a change in system."
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