Where will new loan signing Joao Felix play for Chelsea?

Felix has been regularly deployed as a striker in a front two at Atletico Madrid, so technically it is a role he can play.

However, he has not exactly set the world alight in this system and though it is important to look beyond the figures when making an assessment of a player's suitability, there is only one stat that matters when playing as a centre-forward: goals. And Felix has managed just 25 in 96 appearances for Atleti.

He's also unlikely to get the chance to play in a two-man attack.

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has been changing his formation regularly in a bid to find a winning formula but, for the most part, he's asked one man to lead the line, with a winger either side of the centre-forward, or tucked in behind in a 3-4-2-1.

Speaking to The Athletic last year, Felix said: "My best position is as the second forward. Playing like a no.10, with a guy in front of me."

That opinion may have changed since his impressive World Cup showing, where his starting position was off the left, although he netted from a second striker role in La Liga matches immediately before and after Qatar 2022.

For Felix to play as a no.10 in a 4-3-3, though, manager's favourite Mason Mount would have to be dislodged, and that seems out of the question.

Should Potter revert back to a 3-5-2 once Reece James has returned to fitness, then it will become a more attractive proposition, with Felix in a free role behind Kai Havertz.

A few years ago that would have been a truly mouth-watering prospect, but Felix and Havertz – both 23 – have so far failed to live up to their seemingly ceiling-less potential.

Having rarely played there in the past, we've seen more of Felix on the left this season, both at club and international level.

Indeed, he has looked something like his best playing as an inverted winger – especially at the World Cup, where he was able to drift out wide, collect possession and utilise his two-footedness to come inside and influence play in the central areas, often creating overloads for the opposition defence.

He picked up two cute assists in Qatar from those sorts of situations, and Potter will hope he can service his preferred central striker Havertz in the same way.

The physicality he demonstrated in Portugal's ill-fated campaign will also be encouraging for the Premier League side.

Felix is press-resistant when required but is also happy to take a heavy challenge when he has drawn his man in – something he and predecessor Eden Hazard have in common.

On paper, Felix should face serious competition for a starting spot but, in truth, he would be an upgrade on Christian Pulisic or Hakim Ziyech on current form, while Potter prefers Mount in a deeper role anyway.

So, he'll most likely occupy a wide role, with Raheem Sterling on the opposite wing when fit.