Joao Felix Next Club Odds: Arsenal 4/5 for Atletico star

Arsenal have been cut to 4/5 to sign Joao Felix in January with a number of bettors believing he'll be heading to North London in the January transfer window.

It cannot be argued that Felix is a wonderful talent, and has been ever since bursting onto the scene as a teenager at Benfica.

Similarly, it cannot be argued that more was expected of him following his £106m move to Atletico Madrid in 2019.

In the Portuguese's defence, the role of an attacker in a Diego Simeone side isn't always an easy one, with the Atleti manager putting so much emphasis on teamwork, organisation, work rate and aggression. 

There's no doubt that Felix has plenty of ability; he's creative, technical and can score goals, but it may be that after three-and-a-half years in the Spanish capital, he looks for a better suitor.

The news that his agent Jorge Mendes is speaking to clubs has sparked plenty of rumours, particularly surrounding English clubs.

Manchester United manager Ten Hag has made his desire for a striker clear, but has also pointed out that the club won't buy (or loan...) for the sake of it, and it may be that the Red Devils' need for an out-and-out striker, rather than someone better suited to playing in behind, means they turn their attentions elsewhere, and they've drifted from 6/4 to 11/2.

It's unlikely any club will be able to stump up the £100m+ that Atletico would likely want in an attempt to recoup as much of their initial outlay as possible, with a January loan looking more likely, but even that seems to come with a fee in excess of £10m for five months' worth of football.

Arsenal, with the injury to Gabriel Jesus, may be interested in a short-term replacement, but again, Felix's profile perhaps more closely mirrors Martin Odegaard than Jesus, and with the club's philosophy of signing players under 25, who then have time to develop under Mikel Arteta, may mean they'd prefer to avoid any short-term deals.

But with reports that Real Madrid are interested in re-signing Odegaard, Arteta may look towards a short-term safety net, and they're now 4/5 to sign the Portuguese.

Arsenal's London rivals Chelsea were also desperate to sign a striker in the summer with the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, with only Raheem Sterling arriving before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made his return to the capital late in the window.

Mason Mount hasn't hit his previous heights, and with the Blues desperate for goals - they're averaging little more than a goal a game in the Premier League, with their xG not much better - Felix could well provide the creative spark they're after, though Chelsea are out from 6/1 to 10/1 to bring the Atletico man to Stamford Bridge, while Atletico are 1/1 for Felix to stay at the club.

Odds correct at time of publishing.

Liam Williams

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