Chelsea

The Portugal forward was an expensive loan signing, but even after two league appearances it is clear why Chelsea wanted him.

They face [Borussia Dortmund](https://theathletic.com/football/team/dortmund/) in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday in Germany and his name has been added to Chelsea’s squad for the knockout phase. They do not intend to sign another raft of players in the summer but are prepared to spend big again in a few key positions. It’s the Champions League — that’s the competition we want to win. Reports in Spain last week said Atletico value Joao Felix at £124m, although Chelsea believe they can be persuaded to accept a lower sum than that. There has not been a great deal for Chelsea fans to get excited about on the pitch. Our Champions League starts on Wednesday and it needs to be ours.” But Joao Felix’s well-timed run also caught West Ham’s defence unawares, and his finish was just too good for But Joao Felix is giving them some hope, a reason to get off their seats and a catchy song about coming from Portugal and ‘hating the I know everything. But for his second game running, the Portugal international was Chelsea’s best player. [Denis Zakaria](https://theathletic.com/football/player/denis-zakaria-xtJaqenVE1USfjH2/)) to join in the past two transfer windows, only [Benoit Badiashile](https://theathletic.com/football/player/benoit-badiashile-PjQKdFS2LzolyOLX/) and [Enzo Fernandez](https://theathletic.com/football/player/enzo-fernandez-mA2LkzPdMOcVkFoZ/) have made similarly strong starts. [Chelsea](https://theathletic.com/football/team/chelsea/)’s 1-1 draw at [West Ham United](https://theathletic.com/football/team/west-ham-united/) looked bittersweet.

Chelsea recorded their third consecutive draw in the Premier League as Graham Potter's side were held 1-1 by West Ham at the London Stadium.

Potter has previously hinted that Cucurella is dealing with off-field issues – the details of which nobody has a right to know – and if they are impacting his performances, then so be it. It paid dividends too, as it was Felix and the Argentine midfielder who combined for the opening goal. "As I said in the pre-match press conference, I don't think Marc is in his best moment. But at the same time, he's been part of a team that has kept a clean sheet at Anfield, a clean sheet against Fulham. [A perception has taken hold among many Chelsea supporters that Marc Cucurella is a poor player.](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/potter-cucurella-chelsea-west-ham-26216399) That is simply not the case. In the modern-day game, there is a performance element required for coaching at a club like Chelsea. Ultimately, the Premier League champions didn't want to meet Brighton's asking price but a few weeks later, Chelsea paid up. "It looked like a handball to me," he said in his It is not to everyone's liking and perhaps not what is now expected of a top coach. [Chelsea](https://www.football.london/all-about/chelsea) should have been awarded a penalty in the final minutes of the game at the London Stadium. That the decision wasn't overturned by VAR – or that Pawson wasn't sent to the monitor to review the call – certainly was. [Conor Gallagher](https://www.football.london/all-about/conor-gallagher)'s goalbound effort struck the arm of West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek, who had thrown himself to the ground to make a block.

Chelsea fans have enjoyed watching Joao Felix during his loan spell from Atletico Madrid. · Graham Potter on Chelsea's draw to West Ham United · Related articles.

Reports suggest that Potter would be willing to let him leave in the summer just 12 months after his arrival. Ziyech looked set to depart Chelsea in January but his move to PSG fell through in the final moments of deadline day following a technical error. Kovacic has been a regular for Chelsea this season but may find his game time reduced when he returns from injury after the arrival of Enzo Fernandez. Atletico boss Diego Simeone tends to like having a target man up front and Lukaku would fit the bill. He was linked with Atletico Madrid during the transfer window but the move would not have been possible after already featuring for two clubs this season. [Graham Potter](/latest/graham-potter) may look to make his move permanent over the summer if he continues to perform like he did against the Irons however there is no option to buy written into his contract.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter has said some of the club's new signings need to adapt to the Premier League, with the club's January spending spree yet to turn ...

"It's exciting, it tests you because you have to make sure you communicate properly and manage the environment because otherwise it can go not very positive, but it's been a good training week. The result means Chelsea have won just once in their last eight matches in all competitions. Potter said that managing a squad of that size is a challenge but also described the situation as "exciting." "That's just how it is, that's the way I see it and I'll just be honest to say how it is but I completely understand that people are frustrated if you don't win." [Reece James](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/189007/Reece-James) up to speed, which is getting [Ben Chilwell](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/225426/Ben-Chilwell) up to speed, which is getting [Ruben Loftus-Cheek](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/186505/Ruben-Loftus-Cheek) up to speed, which is getting [Wesley Fofana](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/270190/Wesley-Fofana) up to speed, which is getting [N'Golo Kante](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/173556/N'Golo-Kanté) up to speed, which is adapting [Myhailo] Mudryk into the Premier League, which is adapting [Noni] Madueke into the Premier League, which adapting [Benoit Badiashile](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/282585/Benoit-Badiashile) into the Premier League, which is adapting Joao Felix into the Premier League. "You can also see the potential of the team but you can also see where the work is, which is getting

VAR's killing Graham Potter! Chelsea winners, losers & ratings as Joao Felix & Enzo Fernandez shine amid controversial penalty call. Krishan Davis. | 11 Feb ...

VAR ensured there was some late drama at the end of a turgid second period. The closest they came to restoring their lead was when Michail Antonio flicked a corner inches wide of his own post. Mykhailo Mudryk recovered possession deep in West Ham territory before Enzo Fernandez clipped in a cross and Felix found space in the box to produce an expert side-foot volley.

Chelsea drew a third game in a row in the Premier League as West Ham United was denied a late winner at London Stadium.

[WATCH Chelsea TV on beIN SPORTS While the Blues dominated much of the following hour, their woes in front of goal meant they were at the mercy of VAR at the end. But former Chelsea full-back Emerson Palmieri levelled in the 28th when he got on the end of a right-sided cross at the back post.

Chelsea had to settle for a share of the spoils as they drew 1-1 with London rivals West Ham United, with Joao Felix the standout player.

FW Joao Felix 8 - The best player on the pitch in the first half as West Ham failed to deal with his movement and threat from behind. Impact diminished in the second period, but remained an outlet as the highest point of Chelsea's attack. MF Enzo Fernandez 7 - The Premier League's record signing looked every bit the star with a first half where he controlled the game. He constantly looked to cut in on Chelsea's right flank, but it never materialized into anything. There were though some early signs of a partnership developing between him and Mudryk before both left the field. Also pulled off a last-ditch tackle in the first half to prevent the West Ham striker from converting. Faded as the game went on. Had a couple of half-chances to open his Chelsea account from first-half corners. Was caught ball-watching for West Ham's equaliser but kept the home side's attack at bay in the second period. He will be disappointed his team didn't turn their early dominance into a more commanding lead that the Hammers wouldn't have been able to come back from. In Felix, Chelsea have a match-winner and someone who looks like he could really ignite the attack for the remainder of the season. Despite their early dominance of the game, Chelsea failed to finish off the opposition.

Turning a group of stars into a cohesive team is like gluing the Millennium Falcon together while hurtling through hyperspace.

A 1-1 half-time scoreline felt like the high point of the game. But there was still an energy here, a chemistry between the parts that will intrigue Chelsea’s supporters while they wait for the glorious future – so, so many glorious futures – to germinate. There is still something entertaining in the basic spectacle of Potter, the process man, trying to solve this. There was another lovely moment as Reece James played a precision forward pass for Félix to run on to and produce the most delicious floaty dink over Lukasz Fabianski, a moment of synergy, movement, timing, imagination, slightly undermined by the fact that it was offside. The London Stadium was a boisterous place at kick-off, gripped also with a note of curiosity. Never mind the brittleness in a With less than a minute gone João Félix and Mykhaylo Mudryk combined 40 yards from goal, romping forward side by side, a sudden flare of boyishly handsome energy that almost burst the defensive line. It is unrealistic to expect Chelsea’s swirl of starry players, a model that is unprecedented in English football, to click into a functioning shape straight away. He made the opening goal with some help from Mudryk, who lunged to win the ball back from Jarrod Bowen. A holiday. A caravan. Welcome to the new world.

We focus on the impressive impact made by three of our January acquisitions and one of our longest-serving players in our statistical debrief of Chelsea's ...

[Noni Madueke](/en/teams/profile/noni-madueke) was a livewire down the right flank. Ruben ranked fifth in that metric behind James and the centre-backs. He was also assured in possession, registering a 92 per cent pass completion rate despite his average position, no.31 below, being very high up the pitch. He recorded a game-high three shots and was the only player to have more than one on target. His three successful tackles was a figure bettered only by Emerson, so it is no surprise the man on loan from Atletico was our Player of the Match. Look at Joao Felix’s heatmap below – he popped up all over the pitch.

Graham Potter continues to give his full support to Marc Cucurella despite seeing Chelsea supporters cheer his substitution away at West Ham.

[suggesting that Cucurella is not good enough](https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/we-don-t-not-want-to-see-cucurella-anymore-not-good-enough-for-chelsea-leboeuf/bltc817357da757e98e), but Potter has come to the defence of Cucurella: “In the summer, I know because I was the selling club, there was another club that were interested in Marc. The pair have been reunited at Stamford Bridge, but Cucurella has [struggled for form across 25 appearances](https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/marc-cucurella-family-issues-affected-chelsea-form-this-season-potter/bltc51c65f6bc367cae) for Chelsea and is yet to win over a sceptical fan base that cheered the sight of his number being held up 67 minutes into [a 1-1 derby draw at the London Stadium](https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/chelsea-fuming-var-doesn-t-award-penalty-against-tomas-soucek-west-ham-draw/blt885ec39797a46ae8). [acquired by the Blues in a £55 million ($66m) deal](https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/chelsea-cucurella-brighton-transfer-beat-man-city/blt0a71c83c85af4b64) in the summer of 2022, with Potter parting with the 24-year-old defender at that stage during his spell in charge of Brighton.

The former Brighton boss was appointed on a five-year deal in September to replace the sacked Thomas Tuchel. But Potter's Blues have only won one of their ...

[The former Brighton boss ](/sport/football/article-11739647/Graham-Potter-sarcastically-fumes-Tomas-Soucek-West-Hams-goalkeeper.html)was appointed on a five-year deal in September to replace the sacked Thomas Tuchel. After the game, Potter said: 'You have to earn your luck. 'I have nothing to do with the first team. 'He hasn't become a bad player. We can't complain or wait for luck to turn for us. [Chelsea icon John Terry](/sport/football/article-11711489/PICTURED-Chelsea-owner-Todd-Boehly-takes-seat-watch-multi-million-outlay-Fulham.html)has criticised the results under [manager Graham Potter](/sport/football/article-11739647/Graham-Potter-sarcastically-fumes-Tomas-Soucek-West-Hams-goalkeeper.html)