Unai Emery has admitted that Aston Villa could have signed Joao Felix on loan in January but the price and European ambitions cost them.
Villa were linked to Felix along with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United in January, with the Blues coming out on top in the battle to sign him.
Yesterday, Villa boss Emery revealed during his pre-Chelsea press conference that he is a big fan of the Portuguese forward but several factors meant they couldn’t bring him in, despite their best efforts.
“We are realistic about how we can improve, how we can add players to improve our squad. Joao Felix was not totally impossible for us but he wanted to play for a team in the Champions League,” said the Spaniard (quotes via Birmingham Live).
Joao Felix, woah! 🎶 pic.twitter.com/ftrDeqhfqs
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 29, 2023
“He has a high salary, and Chelsea paid a lot of money for that. He’s a very good player but we were never really in the running for him.”
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Chelsea being in the Champions League no doubt gave them the upper hand in signing Felix and like Emery mentioned, Chelsea’s funds are something that Villa are unable to compete with but the fact that it was not “impossible” for them to potentially bring him in speaks volumes about the power of English football.