CHELSEA FORWARD JOAO Felix has joined AC Milan on loan for the remainder of the season, six months after moving to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid.
It has been an underwhelming second spell in west London for the Portugal international, who since his £46million move in August has largely been limited to substitute appearances in the Premier League, with six of his nine starts coming in cup competitions.
The deal with the Serie A side includes a £5m loan fee and does not come with an obligation to buy.
Head coach Enzo Maresca has repeatedly said chances for the former Barcelona player have been restricted by Cole Palmer, who has started all 24 league games this season in the number 10 position, Felix’s preferred role.
He has scored seven goals since rejoining the club for whom he played on loan in the second half of the 2022-23 season.
Of those only one has come in the league, the sixth goal in Chelsea’s 6-2 victory away against Wolves on his first appearance back.
He scored four times in the Conference League, helping the team progress to the last 16 in first place, while he also netted twice in the FA Cup third round against Morecambe in January.
Despite arriving to great fanfare following a successful loan spell at Barcelona, the 25-year-old has not settled, with his inconsistent performances when picked reminiscent of his troubled first spell at the club.
That the majority of his starts have come in Maresca’s second-string cup selections has long pointed to a possible exit, which has now been confirmed.
A club statement said: “Chelsea forward Joao Felix will spend the remainder of the season on loan at Serie A side AC Milan.
“Joao will now spend the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign at San Siro and we look forward to supporting him during his loan spell.”
He becomes the fifth former Chelsea player in head coach Sergio Conceicao’s squad alongside Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
We can confirm that Radu Dragusin will undergo surgery for an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury to his right knee.
Radu will be assessed by our medical team to determine when he can return to training.
Meanwhile, Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin needs surgery to repair anterior cruciate ligament damage and faces an indefinite spell on the sidelines.
The Romania centre-half sustained the injury during last week’s Europa League win against Elfsborg and was withdrawn at half-time.
“We can confirm that Radu Dragusin will undergo surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee,” a Tottenham statement on Tuesday morning read.
“The 23-year-old defender suffered the injury during our Uefa Europa League victory against Elfsborg last Thursday.
“Radu will be assessed by our medical team to determine when he can return to training.”
The player posted on Instagram: “Football gives you incredible moments, but also challenges—some harder than others. Unfortunately, I now face one of those challenges: a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in my right knee.
“That being said, one of the many things I’ve learned from this sport is that behind every obstacle hides an opportunity to learn and grow.
“Football doesn’t just teach you how to win—it teaches you how to fight when things get tough. A difficult period lies ahead, but I will come back stronger, and I will work hard every single day during my post-surgery recovery to make that happen.
“Even though I won’t be able to be on the pitch with my team-mates, I will support them with all my heart – both at Tottenham and with the national team. I have no doubt that they will keep fighting with determination to achieve our goals.
“I want to thank you all for your messages of support after my injury – those mean a lot and give me even more motivation.”
Dragusin, signed from Genoa for £25million in January last year, has made a total of 28 appearances for Ange Postecoglou’s side this season, including 14 Premier League starts.
Postecoglou has been short of options in central defence in recent weeks due to an ongoing injury crisis and signed Kevin Danso from Lens on an initial loan deal with a view to a permanent deal on Tuesday.
Centre-half Micky van de Ven returned from an injury lay-off against Elfsborg.
New Tottenham forward Mathys Tel, meanwhile, said it was the “best option” for him to swap Bayern Munich for Ange Postecoglou’s side despite having previously rejected the club.
The 19-year-old moved to north London from the Bundesliga outfit – where he had made just eight league appearances this season – following an abrupt U-turn on transfer deadline day, initially on loan but with an option to buy for a reported £50million.
A France U21 international, he had struggled to break into Vincent Kompany’s plans at the Allianz Arena with his playing time diminishing significantly this season.
“I’m very excited play with my team-mates, for the fans,” said Tel in an interview with the club’s media service. “That’s a new challenge for me, a new chapter to open. Very excited about it.
“Why I chose Tottenham, because that was the best option for me, what was important for me. I felt the commitment, I spoke with the president (chairman Daniel Levy), talked with the manager.
“I’m young. I’ve started to grow up and this was the best option for me and I’m very happy.”
One of three January first-team signings, there is pressure on Tel – who scored 16 goals across 83 games for Bayern – to make a fast start as struggling Spurs look to rescue what threatens to become a calamitous season.
A run of two wins in 12 Premier League games has left them 14th in the table, though there were shoots of recovery in Sunday’s 2-0 victory at Brentford and they have also secured passage to the Europa League last 16.
They take a 1-0 aggregate lead to Anfield on Thursday in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool which could see Tel make his debut.
“I think I am a physical player, fast, technical,” said the former Rennes player, who left for Germany in 2022 aged 17. He had made his senior debut a year earlier, at 16 making him the club’s youngest ever player, eclipsing Real Madrid and France defender Eduardo Camavinga.
“I play every moment, every game with my heart. I live with this pressure. I always have to push myself to go up and look forward.”
He said he was persuaded to move in part by his under-21 international team-mate Wilson Odobert.
“I talked with Wilson, he told me you have to come here,” he said. “He’s my friend, I played with him in the French team, we are good friends. He told me come, it’s a great team and you will see. It’s very nice.
“Football is a dream for me, to play with the first team, for the best in the world.
“I’m ready for every game. That’s why I’m there. I know what I have to do for Tottenham, for the team, for the fans, and I hope I am going to do it.”
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Chelsea's Joao Felix joins Milan on loan; Spurs confirm Dragusin to undergo ACL surgery
CHELSEA FORWARD JOAO Felix has joined AC Milan on loan for the remainder of the season, six months after moving to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid.
It has been an underwhelming second spell in west London for the Portugal international, who since his £46million move in August has largely been limited to substitute appearances in the Premier League, with six of his nine starts coming in cup competitions.
The deal with the Serie A side includes a £5m loan fee and does not come with an obligation to buy.
Head coach Enzo Maresca has repeatedly said chances for the former Barcelona player have been restricted by Cole Palmer, who has started all 24 league games this season in the number 10 position, Felix’s preferred role.
He has scored seven goals since rejoining the club for whom he played on loan in the second half of the 2022-23 season.
Of those only one has come in the league, the sixth goal in Chelsea’s 6-2 victory away against Wolves on his first appearance back.
He scored four times in the Conference League, helping the team progress to the last 16 in first place, while he also netted twice in the FA Cup third round against Morecambe in January.
Despite arriving to great fanfare following a successful loan spell at Barcelona, the 25-year-old has not settled, with his inconsistent performances when picked reminiscent of his troubled first spell at the club.
That the majority of his starts have come in Maresca’s second-string cup selections has long pointed to a possible exit, which has now been confirmed.
A club statement said: “Chelsea forward Joao Felix will spend the remainder of the season on loan at Serie A side AC Milan.
“Joao will now spend the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign at San Siro and we look forward to supporting him during his loan spell.”
He becomes the fifth former Chelsea player in head coach Sergio Conceicao’s squad alongside Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Meanwhile, Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin needs surgery to repair anterior cruciate ligament damage and faces an indefinite spell on the sidelines.
The Romania centre-half sustained the injury during last week’s Europa League win against Elfsborg and was withdrawn at half-time.
“We can confirm that Radu Dragusin will undergo surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee,” a Tottenham statement on Tuesday morning read.
“The 23-year-old defender suffered the injury during our Uefa Europa League victory against Elfsborg last Thursday.
“Radu will be assessed by our medical team to determine when he can return to training.”
The player posted on Instagram: “Football gives you incredible moments, but also challenges—some harder than others. Unfortunately, I now face one of those challenges: a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in my right knee.
“That being said, one of the many things I’ve learned from this sport is that behind every obstacle hides an opportunity to learn and grow.
“Football doesn’t just teach you how to win—it teaches you how to fight when things get tough. A difficult period lies ahead, but I will come back stronger, and I will work hard every single day during my post-surgery recovery to make that happen.
“Even though I won’t be able to be on the pitch with my team-mates, I will support them with all my heart – both at Tottenham and with the national team. I have no doubt that they will keep fighting with determination to achieve our goals.
“I want to thank you all for your messages of support after my injury – those mean a lot and give me even more motivation.”
Dragusin, signed from Genoa for £25million in January last year, has made a total of 28 appearances for Ange Postecoglou’s side this season, including 14 Premier League starts.
Postecoglou has been short of options in central defence in recent weeks due to an ongoing injury crisis and signed Kevin Danso from Lens on an initial loan deal with a view to a permanent deal on Tuesday.
Centre-half Micky van de Ven returned from an injury lay-off against Elfsborg.
New Tottenham forward Mathys Tel, meanwhile, said it was the “best option” for him to swap Bayern Munich for Ange Postecoglou’s side despite having previously rejected the club.
The 19-year-old moved to north London from the Bundesliga outfit – where he had made just eight league appearances this season – following an abrupt U-turn on transfer deadline day, initially on loan but with an option to buy for a reported £50million.
A France U21 international, he had struggled to break into Vincent Kompany’s plans at the Allianz Arena with his playing time diminishing significantly this season.
“I’m very excited play with my team-mates, for the fans,” said Tel in an interview with the club’s media service. “That’s a new challenge for me, a new chapter to open. Very excited about it.
“Why I chose Tottenham, because that was the best option for me, what was important for me. I felt the commitment, I spoke with the president (chairman Daniel Levy), talked with the manager.
“I’m young. I’ve started to grow up and this was the best option for me and I’m very happy.”
One of three January first-team signings, there is pressure on Tel – who scored 16 goals across 83 games for Bayern – to make a fast start as struggling Spurs look to rescue what threatens to become a calamitous season.
A run of two wins in 12 Premier League games has left them 14th in the table, though there were shoots of recovery in Sunday’s 2-0 victory at Brentford and they have also secured passage to the Europa League last 16.
They take a 1-0 aggregate lead to Anfield on Thursday in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool which could see Tel make his debut.
“I think I am a physical player, fast, technical,” said the former Rennes player, who left for Germany in 2022 aged 17. He had made his senior debut a year earlier, at 16 making him the club’s youngest ever player, eclipsing Real Madrid and France defender Eduardo Camavinga.
“I play every moment, every game with my heart. I live with this pressure. I always have to push myself to go up and look forward.”
He said he was persuaded to move in part by his under-21 international team-mate Wilson Odobert.
“I talked with Wilson, he told me you have to come here,” he said. “He’s my friend, I played with him in the French team, we are good friends. He told me come, it’s a great team and you will see. It’s very nice.
“Football is a dream for me, to play with the first team, for the best in the world.
“I’m ready for every game. That’s why I’m there. I know what I have to do for Tottenham, for the team, for the fans, and I hope I am going to do it.”
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