Chelsea have been slammed after the report of the Blues £10m loan transfer fee for Atletico Madrid midfielder Joao Felix has emerged.
It became obvious that Graham Potter’s need for attacking reinforcements has been exacerbated by the injuries sustained by Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic.
Disappointingly, Chelsea have scored just three goals in four games since the resumption of the domestic campaign following the break for the World Cup, and were largely toothless in the consecutive defeats they suffered against Manchester City in the Premier League and FA Cup.
There is no doubt that the Blues defeat on Sunday to Manchester City was particularly a hard one for under-fire manager Graham Potter especially after the Blues fans were heard chanting the name of his predecessor Thomas Tuchel.
The popular German signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as one of his final acts in charge and with the former Arsenal captain, absent from the Etihad last weekend due to a back injury, looking a shadow of his former self. the former Brighton boss is in desperate need of a short-term solution.
In order to prevent their season from fizzling out, Chelsea are prepared to pay a sizable loan fee for a player who is set to sign a one-year extension with Atletico and bring the Portugal international on board without an obligation to buy clause.
‘Firstly, I’ve got to say I can’t believe we’re paying £10m for a loan now – absolute madness,’ McCoist told talkSPORT.
‘I like Joao Felix, I don’t think he’s the answer to Chelsea’s problems. They need a centre forward, plus I don’t think he’s consistent enough.
‘I watched him closely at the World Cup and I thought he did some brilliant things. I thought he had one or two good games but he’s one of those players, for me, he just leaves you wanting a little bit more.’
Felix was filmed leaving Atletico’s training ground earlier on Tuesday and was due to arrive in London this afternoon ahead of a medical.
Potter’s struggling side are currently languishing in 10th place in the Premier League and are out of both domestic cup competitions.
A Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund looms large on the horizon, but the immediate focus remains on Thursday’s west London derby against Fulham.
Whether Felix features or not remains to be seen and he must complete all official paperwork before midday on Wednesday if he is to be eligible to feature and make his debut.