GdS: Two sides of the same window – different fates await Chelsea and Man City loanees
Kyle Walker and Joao Felix arrived just a few days apart in the winter transfer window, and yet the represent two sides of the same mercato.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, they are different in age, they are different in role, they are different in the formula with which they were acquired, and their respective destinies will also be different.
Walker and Joao Felix have been at Milan for a month and a half, having joined during the transfer campaign that the management carried out with the aim of keeping Milan involved in the present Champions League and to qualify for the next one.
The verdict regarding the former was a bloody one: a 2-1 aggregate loss to Feyenoord. Meanwhile, the Rossoneri are six points off fourth place. Even if we are still in mid-March, with two months to play, the decisions on Walker and Felix seem to have already been made.
Kyle Walker
The decisions are easy to guess. Walker will continue in red and black, thanks to a list of qualities that are difficult to find all together in the – small – sum to be paid to sign him permanently, which is €5m.
The English full-back has just joined his national team for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. In January, Milan requested and an option to buy because there were doubts about his age and his physical condition.
Of course Walker will naturally lose a bit of his ridiculous pace, yet he is showing that he can be a reliable and obviously experienced player, one who has lined up 18 winners’ medals on the shelf in his living room and who will soon reach 100 appearances with the Three Lions.
His experience has allowed him to immerse himself in the chaos at Milan without making a drama, right from the first game. Kyle assures those close to him that he is happy at the club, and hopes to be bought.
Joao Felix
The story is very different for the Portuguese playmaker. After a bright start and a goal on debut against Roma, someone ‘must have pulled the plug’ because the beacon of light that he promised to bring went out.
With goals, assists and no look passes, Joao had the power to revitalise a depressed crowd in his first two or three games. He had succeeded together with Santiago Gimenez, yet it was a flame extinguished too soon.
Chelsea let him leave for Milan on a dry loan, and will welcome him back in June. The first indications about the idea of discussing a permanent deal with the Blues – brought on after his great start – have now burst like a soap bubble.
This is also because in the summer signing him permanently – based on how much Chelsea paid for him – would cost over €40m, which Milan will use in another way. Felix is a profile particularly appreciated especially by Sergio Conceiçao, bit he too is very likely to leave.
-
GdS: ‘The true devils’ – why Pulisic and Reijnders are now worth €135m+
Christian Pulisic and Tijjani Reijnders both arrived in the 2023 summer transfer window, and they have taken less than two years to become AC Milan’s new leaders.As La Gazzetta dello Sport write ...Yahoo Sports - 14h -
Being Different Is Not the Same as Being Distinct
Here’s the difference, and why you need to be both.Inc. - 15h -
Chelsea planning to sell Axel Disasi in the summer transfer window
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are planning to sell Axel Disasi (27) during the summer transfer window. The Premier League club have drafted a list of between 7 and 8 players to sell when ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Chelsea close in on La Liga star in double Sporting Lisbon swoop
Chelsea are planning to get their transfer business completed early for the 2025/26 season with two moves close to completion for Enzo Maresca.The Blues are battling to secure the Premier League’s ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City: Women’s League Cup final – live reaction
A Yui Hasegawa own goal proved to be the difference between the sides as the favourites won their first piece of silverware under Sonia Bompastor. Read Tom Garry’s match report from Pride ...The Guardian - 2d -
Manchester City appear to have a shot at signing the biggest prize in the summer transfer window
The biggest name who could be available in the summer transfer window is Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz. If the German international decides to seek a new challenge at the end of this season ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
GdS: ‘The Diavolo’s pride’ – why Conceicao and Milan are not giving up on Europe
AC Milan are back in action at San Siro tonight against Como with one mission: win to keep the hopes of a European place alive.As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes this morning, Sergio ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Dele Alli sent off 10 minutes into Serie A debut – despite Kyle Walker’s protests
Dele Alli endured a nightmare return on his first competitive appearance in more than two years as he was sent off less than 10 minutes into his debut for Serie A side Como.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Report: Real Madrid’s Saliba Interest Grow Ahead Of The Summer Transfer Window
Madrid’s Transfer Chessboard: Griezmann, Saliba, and Premier League LinksGriezmann’s Next Chapter in MLSAntoine Griezmann’s time at Atlético Madrid could be drawing to a close suggest reports f...Yahoo Sports - 1d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Twins’ Royce Lewis will miss start of season after hurting his hamstring
Lewis is coming off a 2024 season that saw him appear in just 82 games due to quadriceps and adductor issues.Yahoo Sports - 1h -
Texans to pick up Derek Stingley's Jr.'s fifth-year option ahead of extension
The Houston Texans will have Derek Stingley Jr. under contract through 2029 after agreeing to pick up one final year on his rookie deal.Yahoo Sports - 4h -
MLB hyped up a video game-like replay view from the Tokyo Dome and fans justifiably hated it
The on-field replay did not go over how MLB expected.Yahoo Sports - 6h -
The Players Championship 2025 prize money: Full payout from the $25 million purse
Here's how the $25 million purse will be paid out this week at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.Yahoo Sports - 23h -
Auburn basketball’s first round opponent revealed ahead of 2025 NCAA Tournament
Auburn basketball will face either Alabama State or St. Francis in March Madness to open its 2025 NCAA Tournament men’s bracket.Yahoo Sports - 1d
More in Sports
-
March Madness 2025 bracket: NCAA Tournament picks, predictions from advanced college basketball model
SportsLine's model has nailed 20 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds and revealed its NCAA Tournament bracket 2025CBS Sports - 13m -
March Madness always delivers Cinderella upsets: Here's how Bucknell delivered one of the biggest 20 years ago
Kansas losing to Bucknell in 2005 shows what can happen in the Big DanceCBS Sports - 15m -
The women’s March Madness bracket is here -- so is your guide to all 68 teams
We look at every team in the women's NCAA bracket.ESPN - 29m -
Let the fun begin: Make your picks for the women's tournament
Compete with friends and family to show off your skills by creating or joining a group now!ESPN - 29m -
Your guide to all 68 teams in the men’s NCAA tournament
The bracket is set, here's everything you need to know about the competitors for this year's national title.ESPN - 29m