Chelsea's recent acquisition, Joao Pedro, seems to be the striker the Blues have been searching for after an impressive debut performance in the Club World Cup. The Brazilian, who joined Chelsea from Brighton last week, is one of 19 forwards to have signed for the Blues since their American owners took control of the club in 2022, with a total spending of £600m on attacking players.
Following his debut in the Club World Cup quarter-final win over Palmeiras on Saturday, Pedro was given his first start against Fluminense, his childhood side, and did not disappoint. With 18 minutes gone, the frontman collected a half-cleared cross on the corner of the penalty area, took one touch to steady himself, and arrowed a stunning drive past goalkeeper Fabio and into the far corner to open the scoring. His second goal was just as impressive, as he ran onto Enzo Fernandez's throughball from near the halfway line, darted into the box, and slammed a right-footed shot into the net via the crossbar 11 minutes into the second half.
With Chelsea set to receive £21.9m for reaching the final – where they will play either Real Madrid or Paris St-Germain – Pedro's goalscoring exploits on Tuesday mean he has already repaid over a third of his transfer fee. "It was a dream," he told DAZN afterwards. "I don't think it could have gone any better."I'm happy to have scored my first goals. [The Club World Cup] would be my first title as well. I only came here a week ago, and now I'm going to play the final."
Enzo Maresca's side have not wasted time in bolstering their attacking options this summer, bringing in Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund, Ipswich Town's Liam Delap, and Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian from Palmeiras – in addition to Pedro. The former Brighton striker, who scored 30 goals in 70 games for the Seagulls after joining from Watford in 2023, has been signed to provide competition for the number nine and ten positions. And he staked his claim for a regular place in Maresca's team with a superb full debut at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.
Pedro found the net with two of his three attempts, and with both his efforts on target. Only Christopher Nkunku registered as many shots, while no other Blues player had as many shots on target. The forward also gave the Blues an attacking focal point, competing in nine duels and four aerial duels before being replaced by Nicolas Jackson on the hour mark. Only Nkunku and Moises Caicedo – both of whom were on the pitch a lot longer – registered more duels overall, with only Marc Cucurella and Trevoh Chalobah taking part in as many aerial tussles.
Gareth Bale, the ex-Real Madrid winger, praised Pedro's performance on DAZN, saying, "It's not just the goals, it's the link-up play, it's the passing, it's the vision. It was a great all-round performance." England forward Callum Wilson added, "He's already a player with confidence but he will have wanted to hit the ground running straight away and that's exactly what he has done."What a signing he could turn out to be."
Pedro himself acknowledged the competition he faces to secure a starting berth in Sunday's showpiece, but his strong performance on Tuesday has given him an outside chance of beating both Delap and Jackson to a starting role.
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