Milan brought in Joao Felix in January, even though very few among their decision-makers were on board with the decision. He was proposed to consultant Zlatan Ibrahimovic by Jorge Mendes. Sergio Conceiçao was the only one completely in favor of the signing.

The scouting area had suggested looking elsewhere. Their reports were negative considering they were set in his role, his limited contribution in his last two stops, and his personability. CEO Giorgio Furlani didn’t weigh in on the technical matters but examined only the costs. In the end, he let the former Swedish striker and the coach make the call.
The Milan brass estimated that the formula to sign Joao Felix was fine, and he eventually joined on a €3M season-long loan plus bonuses. The Rossoneri and Chelsea are splitting his wages. While the investment wasn’t large, it has still been a net loss given his lackluster performances. He showed well in his first two displays, but then he quickly plummeted and has yet to hit the net.

The Portuguese attacker progressively fell out of favor along with his biggest supporter. The boss hasn’t been fired because of a couple of wins here and there and the fact that the team is in the running to win the Coppa Italia. Plus, the hierarchy doesn’t want a third coaching change, as the season is lost already.

Our Take on Milan and Joao Felix

A loan with no option to buy is often a double-edged sword, as it makes it easy to discard the player and,  even if it goes well, the problem is then economic. Top sides should steer clear of those.