After Chelsea confirmed the arrival of Pedro Neto on Sunday afternoon, introducing him to the Stamford Bridge faithful at half-time against Inter, it looked a pretty pleasant time to be a Blue.
Todd Boehly was also on the verge of concluding a deal to bring Atletico Madrid forward Samu Omorodion to the Bridge.
Yet, just a matter of hours later the deal was as dead as a dodo. David Ornstein reported that a 'major problem' when it came to the player's contract had jeopardised a move and he would now not head to London.
Omorodion could still head to England but it's unlikely to be in the direction of Chelsea, with the Atleti striker reportedly now offered to the likes of Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
Chelsea's main Omorodion alternative
Victor Osmihen has been the name on many lips this summer, not just at Chelsea but throughout the footballing world.
He's been an option for teams in Saudi, PSG have looked at him and Arsenal are also allegedly in the conversation to beat Chelsea to his signature.
However, with a proposed £109m price tag in the offing, a deal looks tricky to complete.
As a result, the transfer team in west London are heading back to Madrid in an attempt to prise away another forward; Joao Felix.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Portuguese has already said yes to a move and it's now up to Boehly and Co to decide whether they want to proceed with a move.
Felix has already had one spell at Chelsea during the second half of the 2022/23 season where he played 20 times and scored four goals.
During his stint in the Premier League, the 24-year-old played in a variety of positions, namely as an attacking midfielder or centre-forward, occupying somewhat of a false 9 role.
His replacement that summer after he left? A certain Cole Palmer. How he has exploded since leaving Manchester City behind.
Cole Palmer's transfer value in 2024
Felix wasn't totally convincing during his loan spell at the club and as a result, Mauricio Pochettino didn't seek a permanent deal.
Palmer was one man who arrived to fill the void and he did that in remarkable fashion. Hailed as a "fantastic" player by club icon Joe Cole, the former Man City star emulated Chelsea greats Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba during a breakthrough campaign for the now England international.
The 22-year-old scored a whopping 25 goals in 45 outings, also supplying 15 assists in that time. It's safe to say not signing Felix was a good decision on that evidence.
It was a campaign that subsequently saw Palmer's transfer value explode. Signed for a fee of £40m he is now estimated to be worth around £69m by Transfermarkt.
How does Chelsea's new transfer target compare? Well, the Portugal international could head back to English football in a deal worth £43m according to reports. That's a fraction more than the £38m Omorodion was set to join for.
Considering a deal to sign the Atleti forward has fallen apart, Felix would be a solid alternative but he doesn't touch Palmer when it comes to output.
Goals
22
11
Assists
7
3
Pass success %
79%
81%
Key passes *
2.47
1.11
Passes into final 3rd *
4.67
1.17
Progressive passes *
6.77
3.98
Shot-creating actions *
5.57
3.63
Succesful take-ons *
1.79
1.70
Progressive carries *
4.02
4.04
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
As we can see, the Englishman unsurprisingly wiped the floor with Felix throughout a devastating 2023/24 campaign in the Premier League.
That's certainly not to suggest the former loanee wouldn't be a good addition but he would most definitely be playing second fiddle to Palmer.
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