Marc Cucurella confident in Joao Felix's ability to make a big impact at Chelsea

Marc Cucurella is optimistic about Joao Felix's potential to excel at Chelsea, noting that the attacking midfielder was simply unlucky during his initial stint with the club.

Felix completed a £45million move to Chelsea towards the end of the summer transfer window, a deal which allowed Conor Gallagher to head in the opposite direction to Atletico Madrid.

Eyebrows were raised following Felix’s arrival given the Portuguese’s underwhelming six-month loan stint at Stamford Bridge in the second half of the 2022/23 season.

However, Felix hit back at his doubters with an instant impact off the bench on his return for the Blues against Wolves, beating Jose Sa with a clinical finish to make it 6-2 at Molineux last month.

The 24-year-old also came on as a substitute in Chelsea’s clash with Crystal Palace but was unable to make the difference as Enzo Maresca’s men dropped points against their London rivals.

The west London giants return to Premier League action away to Bournemouth after the international break and Felix will no doubt be desperate to make his first start of the campaign at the Vitality Stadium.

Asked whether Felix will finally deliver on his potential at Chelsea, his team-mate Cucurella told EFE: ‘He did perform well during his months there.

‘He was unlucky because he was sent off in his first game for an unfortunate, unintentional act.

‘He had many chances afterwards, but he is a player who can contribute a lot to us.

‘In the Premier League there is a lot more space, he can move around and hopefully he will help us a lot.’

Cucurella has been impressed by Maresca is hoping for greater ‘stability’ at Chelsea this season after a summer of major upheaval at the club.

‘I’m happy. I think the coach we have is very good, he has very clear ideas,’ the Spain defender added.

‘We’ve had years of coaching changes, let’s see if we can achieve stability without many changes and so that the manager can transmit his ideas.

‘We need stability, we have very high-level players and hopefully we can have the patience that is needed, that calm, so that everything goes well.

‘We have the level, we just need stability and for the coaches and players to be allowed to work in order to do something important.’

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