Enzo Maresca sends brutal parting message to Joao Felix - 'We don't miss him'

Joao Felix was shipped connected indebtedness to AC Milan connected deadline time of the January transportation model aft enduring a hard instrumentality to Chelsea, starting conscionable 3 Premier League games

Enzo Maresca has insisted Chelsea volition not miss Joao Felix contempt seeing his broadside clang retired of the FA Cup with a decision astatine Brighton.

Felix was bought by the Blues successful the summer successful a £45million woody from Atletico Madrid, with the attacker penning a seven-year contract. But it proved to beryllium a hard return to Stamford Bridge for the 25-year-old.

He started conscionable 3 Premier League games, with the bulk of his minutes coming successful the cupful competitions. With the Portugal planetary intelligibly not portion of Maresca's plans, Felix was sent connected indebtedness to AC Milan connected deadline time successful the January transportation window.

He scored successful the Coppa Italia triumph implicit Roma connected his debut and started Saturday's triumph astatine Empoli. His genitor nine meantime fell to a 2-1 decision to Brighton to clang retired of the FA Cup astatine the 4th circular stage.

It is the 2nd clip successful the past 3 seasons that the Blues person failed to advancement beyond the 4th round, arsenic galore times arsenic successful the erstwhile 24 campaigns combined. Even so, Maresca has insisted helium has nary uncertainty that sending Felix distant was the close decision.

"I don't deliberation we miss Joao. Joao is blessed determination and we are blessed Joao is blessed there. We had 2 striker injuries connected deadline day, it is thing hard to think. Nico [Jackson] tin beryllium backmost precise soon," helium said.

"Sometimes I deliberation you request to play immoderate games without players to realise however important they are. Off the ball, his [Jackson] pressing is ever precise bully and connected the shot helium is simply a menace always."

Following different disappointing nighttime for his side, with Chelsea present retired of some home cupful competitions, Maresca is keen to refocus. The Italian has urged his broadside to enactment their afloat efforts into the Premier League and the Europa Conference League.

"We started precise good, controlled and created immoderate chances. The second-half much oregon little happened the same. If determination is thing bully aft a decision is present we tin beryllium focused connected the Premier League and Conference," helium added.

"It is for definite a shame. No doubt. It is simply a hard competition. For sure, it is simply a large shame for us. For me, a bully play is seeing the squad improving crippled aft game; spell done atrocious moments, difficulty, it is the lone mode this nine tin vie for thing important.

"After we concede the 2nd goal, we had 3 oregon 4 chances to people truthful the absorption was there. Every crippled is different. In presumption of reaction, aft the 2nd extremity we concede, the absorption was there.

"For me, for sure, we request to larn however to triumph games 1-0. No doubt. The aforesaid way, the past crippled against West Ham, we were losing 1-0 and past we won 2-1. In presumption of the team, we request to larn however to triumph 1-0. Big clubs bash that."

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