According to reports, Chelsea have signed Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion at a price of £60 million on a seven-year deal.
The 24-year-old Brazilian striker is going to be another addition to the Royal Blues’ attack after they signed Rory Delap earlier.
Chelsea already have Nicolas Jackson, who has played the last two seasons for them as the No. 9.
However, Jackson has not been very prolific for them and has scored 30 goals in 80 matches. Those are not bad numbers, but Enzo Maresca will want his centre-forward to score at a higher frequency.
Joao Pedro’s Brighton Numbers Show Why Chelsea Made Their Move
Pedro has spent two seasons at Brighton joining from Watford. He has scored 30 goals in 70 matches for Brighton, with 10 goals and six assists in 27 Premier League matches last season, which is quite a decent return and must have prompted Chelsea to sign him.
However, with Delap and Jackson as the options available for Maresca upfront already, it will be interesting to see the amount of game time Pedro gets at Chelsea next season.
He could be used as an attacking midfielder as well, but Chelsea already have a player as good as Cole Palmer in that position.
However, Chelsea have a solid midfield with Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, which means that the supply line for the striker should be very good.
Then, the Blues have a plethora of wingers like Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk.
With Mudryk in trouble with FA regarding a doping charge, the Blues might now go for another winger, as they have already been linked with Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho.
The West Londoners might also sign Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund to give them another option on the left flank.
The Blues have been spending quite freely for quite some time now, with a few of their signings attracting exorbitant prices but failing to deliver on the pitch.
However, Maresca’s men managed to finish inside the top four last season and will play in the UEFA Champions League as well.
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A Young Prospect
Pedro is still only 24 and should have at least a decade of football left at the top. However, playing at an elite club comes with a different sort of challenge.
Pedro is likely to experience that at Chelsea and it remains to be seen how well he copes with it.
They have mostly struggled with their strikers since Didier Drogba left the club more than a decade ago.
The likes of Diego Costa and Olivier Giroud excelled as the front-men for brief periods, but their respective tallies of 59 and 39 goals for the West Londoners did not quite serve the purpose with which they were signed.
Tammy Abraham also spent a few seasons at Stamford Bridge, but managed to score only 30 goals in more than 80 appearances for the club. Chelsea’s No. 9 failed to live up to expectations.
It remains to be seen whether Pedro manages to prove his worth for the London club. With a young team at Maresca’s disposal, the chance for the Brazilian to shine seems to be pretty good at the moment.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sportimage
Recording Date: 05.05.2024