Enzo Maresca Claims Chelsea Don’t Miss João Félix Despite Injury Woes

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has taken a swipe at on-loan forward João Félix, insisting that the team “don’t miss” the Portuguese international despite a growing list of injuries at the club. Félix, who joined Chelsea from Atlético Madrid for €50 million ($55.4m) including add-ons at the end of the summer transfer window, struggled to make an impact in the Premier League, scoring just once in 12 games and starting only three times.

Following Chelsea’s FA Cup exit at the hands of Brighton on Saturday, Maresca was asked about his decision to allow Félix to depart on loan to AC Milan in January. The head coach responded, “I don’t think we miss João. He’s happy there [Milan] and we’re happy that he’s happy.”

Maresca’s comments come amid a challenging period for Chelsea, with injuries to forwards Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu forcing Christopher Nkunku to make a rare start as the central striker in the FA Cup defeat. The Italian coach acknowledged the difficulty of dealing with injuries, saying, “Two injuries on the last day of the transfer window. It’s a tough one. Nico [Jackson] could be back soon. Sometimes I think we need to play a few games without certain players to realise their importance.”

In a press conference ahead of the Brighton game on Friday, Maresca had explained that the decision to let Félix leave was not personal and was based on the inability to provide the player with sufficient playing time.

Since joining Milan on a six-month loan deal without a purchase option, Félix has enjoyed a strong start to his career in Italy. The 25-year-old scored on his debut as Milan beat Roma 3-1 in the Coppa Italia and played 84 minutes in their 2-0 win over Empoli in Serie A on Saturday.