‘He has to change his personality’ – Santi Canizares fires warning to Chelsea over new signing Joao Felix

Former Spain international Santi Canizares has warned new signing must ‘change his personality’ and learn to ‘be humble’ if he is to fulfil his potential.

The Portugal international sealed a loan move to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, joining ’s side until the end of the season after the club agreed a £9million loan fee with .

The Spanish side made Felix the second most expensive teenager in football after Kylian Mbappe after they signed him from Benfica in 2019 in a deal worth €120m.

The forward has endured a strained relationship with Diego Simeone this season, resulting in him being given a fresh opportunity at Chelsea.

But former Real Madrid and Valencia goalkeeper Santi Canizares believes Felix is the one most responsible for his struggles.

‘The club is not to blame for anything about Joao Félix,’ Canizares told . ‘On the contrary, they placed a trust in him that perhaps he did not deserve, they hired him for a fortune. He has talent, but he has to change his personality.’

While conceding Simeone also carries some blame for Felix failing to develop into the world star many predicted he would become, Canizares insists Felix has ‘never been humble enough’.

‘He [Simeone] is partly to blame for not having been able to exploit Joao Félix. Now, the most important thing a coach can count on is the player’s will and the player has never been humble enough to overcome difficult moments within the club.

‘When he has not seen himself starting, he has twisted his nose, when he has seen that he is not the leader of the team, he has not taken a step forward’.

Graham Potter will hope for an instant impact from the 23-year-old with his side languishing in 10^th place in the Premier League.

And despite his struggles in Spain, the Blues boss insists Felix is a ‘fantastic player’ he is eager to start working with.

‘I’ve no idea and it’s not for me to speculate,’ Potter said on Wednesday when asked why things have not worked out at Atletico for the player.

‘Sometimes these things happen in football but for us, he’s a good age, the quality is there, he’s a fantastic player. He has qualities as player as a second striker between the lines and making something happen in the final third. We’re looking forward to working with him.’

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