The Portuguese international returned to Chelsea on a permanent deal, penning a seven-year contract after completing his move from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday afternoon.

That news came shortly before Maresca sat down to preview our UEFA Conference League play-off first leg with Servette at Stamford Bridge, with our Italian head coach highlighting his delight at seeing the forward join the ranks.

Enzo also said that he hopes that Joao’s versatility in the forward areas is something that can benefit the Blues going forward.

‘We are very happy to have Joao because, first of all, he is a very good player,’ Enzo said of our new signing at his pre-Servette press conference.

‘He is a very talented player and of course, the club already knows him very well from when he was here two years ago.

‘We really like him as a player and the good thing about Joao is that he can play many positions, which is very helpful for us.

‘He can play inside, outside, he can play as a No.9 and this versatility is one of the reasons why we have signed him. He’s a very good player and we are happy to have him here.’

Asked by the media whether he could feature in tomorrow’s Conference League play-off first leg against Servette, Maresca confirmed that Joao would not be involved.

‘No, Joao cannot play tomorrow,’ Enzo stated. ‘He is not in the squad list [to face Servette] that has been registered.’