On-loan attacker Joao Felix immediately handed Chelsea debut at Fulham

London, Jan 12, 2023 (AFP) - Joao Felix was handed his Chelsea debut in Thursday's Premier League match against Fulham after the Portugal forward joined on loan from Atletico Madrid.

Felix only completed his switch to the Blues on Wednesday but received clearance to feature in the west London derby at Craven Cottage.

Under-fire Chelsea boss Graham Potter hopes Felix's signing can revitalise his struggling side, who are languishing in 10th place in the Premier League.

Chelsea have scored just 20 goals in the Premier League, a problem Felix will be expected to fix.

"It's a combination of a lot of things, his training, the quality he has and the team needs a little bit of lift in terms of the ability he has," Potter told BT Sport just before kick-off at Fulham.

"He's a confident boy and he just wants to play. He's just got to be himself.

"He hasn't had that much time with the players, so it's just about expressing himself."

Felix joined Atletico from Benfica in 2019 for 126 million euros, making him one of the most expensive players of all time.

He has scored 34 goals in 131 appearances for the club, winning La Liga in 2021.

Felix also featured in Portugal's run to the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar last month, scoring in the 3-2 victory against Ghana in the group stage.

The 23-year-old, who cost Chelsea a reported 11 million euros ($12 million) loan fee, was one of four changes from the 4-0 FA Cup defeat at Manchester City last weekend.

Thiago Silva, Denis Zakaria and Cesar Azpilicueta were also included in Potter's starting line-up.