Chelsea scored an own goal with fans on Wednesday when they announced the signing of Joao Felix with a social media video titled: 'Home again'.

The 34-second video - which also featured the song 'Homecoming' by Kanye West and Coldplay's Chris Martin - showed Felix dressed in Chelsea's new kit while kicking a ball around at the club's Cobham training centre.

Felix - who previously played 20 games for Chelsea during a loan spell in the 2022-23 campaign - rejoined the Blues from Atletico Madrid on a permanent basis for a fee of £42.7million.

The 24-year-old's arrival at Stamford Bridge coincided with former Chelsea captain Conor Gallagher moving to Atletico for £34m.

Felix's announcement video was posted less than two hours after Chelsea had confirmed the departure of fellow 24-year-old Gallagher, who had been at the club since the age of six and made 95 first-team appearances.

Former Chelsea loanee Joao Felix, 24, re-signed for the Stamford Bridge club on Wednesday 

Gallagher was effectively forced out of Chelsea. He had been made to train away from the senior squad after the club decided that they wanted to sell him.

Many fans were quick to hit out at Chelsea's social media team for failing to read the room and for celebrating the 'homecoming' of a player who had previously spent 140 days at the club, so soon after dispensing of someone who had been there for 18 years.

One comment on X (formerly Twitter) read: 'Have a player from a kid to become captain - sell him. Resign a guy who had a short, average loan - "Home again." Honestly, these lads are on one'.

Read More

How Joao Felix went from Ronaldo's £115m heir to the Atletico scrapheap as he seals Chelsea return

Another read: 'No way Chelsea are using this "homecoming" gimmick for a player who was on loan with them for half a season and the only reason this transfer happened is because they forced out a kid who’d been with the club since he was 6 years old.'

One fan wrote: 'Using Homecoming on the announcement of a former loan player you've only signed to enable the sale of an actual homegrown player is a new low'.

A different fan said: 'Odd choice of song, given he's played fewer games for Chelsea than any other club he's represented. Oh, and the fact you signed him so you could offload your club captain who had been at the club since he was a boy.'

Another fan added: 'Saying "Home again" for a former loan player you just sold an actual Home Grown player in order to permanently sign is absolutely wild.' 

Felix - who scored four goals while on loan at Chelsea - could make his 21st appearance for the club on Sunday when Enzo Maresca's men travel to Wolves.

Meanwhile, Gallagher could make his Atletico debut later on Sunday in a home game against Girona in La Liga.