Joao Felix has been omitted from Chelsea’s squad for Saturday’s Premier League match against Manchester City after being granted time off due to a family bereavement.
Chelsea travels to the Etihad Stadium looking to strengthen their bid for a top-four finish. The Blues currently sit fourth, two points ahead of their in-form hosts. However, they will face City without Felix, who has been given compassionate leave, according to The Telegraph’s Matt Law.
Felix’s absence is unrelated to ongoing transfer speculation about his future at Stamford Bridge. AC Milan is reportedly among the clubs interested in signing the 25-year-old, but Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has reiterated his intention to retain the player.
“For sure, Joao is a Chelsea player,” Maresca stated at his pre-match press conference.
He added, “The issue for Joao and Christo [Nkunku] is that the manager typically plays with one attacking midfielder, which is Cole Palmer. We’ve decided to use an attacking midfielder in most of our games, so that’s why Joao and Christo have struggled to get minutes—not for any other reason. They’re both fantastic players and fantastic guys who work hard. The main reason is simply the tactical decision to play with one attacking midfielder for balance.”
