Joao Felix feels it's only a ‘matter of time’ until he is starring for Chelsea, even though he is competing with Cole Palmer for the No 10 position in the Premier League.

The 24-year-old Portuguese arrived from Atletico Madrid in the summer for £45million, with Conor Gallagher moving in the opposite direction in a separate transaction.

Yet his only starts for Chelsea have come in the Carabao Cup and Conference League versus Barrow and Gent respectively.

He is in line to get his chance against Panathinaikos on Thursday with Palmer among those left at home by Enzo Maresca. Felix can also be used as a false nine or on the wing, though No 10 is his primary position and on that, he said: ‘I knew the competition would be hard.

‘But I'm here to work. I know what I can do, what I'm able to do. It’s just a matter of time.

‘You'll never see me stop working to follow my dreams and I'm here to play, of course. And I think it's just a matter of time.

‘I spoke with Enzo before I signed with Chelsea. I liked what he said to me. I like the way he thinks of football, the way he plays.’

Felix previously spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Chelsea. On that, he added: ‘I always said to my family and friends that one day I would be back in the Premier League. 

'I loved that time I spent at the club, the league, the players, the environment. I always said that I wanted to come back. It happened earlier than I thought.’