- 29 June
- 33K+ views
What Chelsea fans can expect from Joao Pedro
Cameron Smith
- 30 Jun 2025 09:45 BST
- 5 min read
Analysis
Chelsea have reached a full agreement to sign Brighton & Hove Albion forward Joao Pedro for a fee in excess of €60 million.
The Brazil international will sign a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge and he will be eligible to feature for the Blues during the remainder of their Club World Cup campaign.
Current ETV
João Pedro
F, M, AM (C)
Brighton
João Pedro
F, M, AM (C)
Brighton
ETV Range
€55.1M - €67.3M
Enzo Maresca’s side booked their place in the quarter-finals of the inaugural summer tournament with a 4-1 win over Benfica in the last-16 and they will face Palmeiras in the next round, with Pedro potentially set to make his debut against the Brazilian giants.
The 23-year-old is expected to be unveiled as Chelsea’s latest signing this week, with David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano both confirming that a total agreement has been reached with Brighton.
The west London giants will pay an initial fee of €64.3m, plus an additional €5.8m in add-ons, as per Ben Jacobs, and Pedro is set to provide much-needed depth across multiple positions.
He has become the 14th different staff member or player to join Chelsea from Brighton since Clearlake Capital took over in 2022, but what can Blues fans expect from the versatile forward?
What can Chelsea fans expect from Joao Pedro?
Pedro currently boasts an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €61.2m, which suggests that Chelsea have paid a fair price to land the Brazilian, despite overpaying for several Brighton stars over the past few years.
However, an initial €64.3m is still a large outlay on a player who is unlikely to feature in Chelsea’s best starting XI.
Pedro is a very talented player, but he has displayed the best form of his career in a second-striker role behind Danny Welbeck.
The Brazilian likes to drop deep to link play before bursting into the penalty area to get on the end of chances. He is fantastic at progressing play through passes or carries, while he works extremely hard out of possession - traits that will no doubt have attracted the interest of Chelsea.
He isn’t a natural centre forward, however, and he isn’t really an attacking midfielder either; he’s a false nine.
Pedro’s versatility across multiple attacking positions has been described as a key reason why Chelsea have opted to agree a deal with Brighton, but his best position closely aligns with where Cole Palmer should be deployed.
The England international has been moved into wide positions by Maresca at the Club World Cup, however that is largely due to Chelsea’s lack of quality wingers - an issue they hope to fix with the imminent arrivals of Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian.
Palmer is therefore expected to return to a No.10 role when the 2025-26 campaign kicks off, and Pedro is likely to be his deputy.
The Brazilian could potentially be used as an inverted left winger, with Marc Cucurella holding width on the touchline and Pedro given freedom to drift inside into an attacking midfield area. But, he is certainly better suited to starting as a second-striker.
STATS
João Pedro
F, M, AM (C)
Brighton
João Pedro
F, M, AM (C)
Brighton
In a way, Chelsea fans can expect a player who is fairly similar to Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix in possession, but someone who matches that technique and attacking creativity with an immense defensive work rate.
Chelsea fans also shouldn’t expect a pure goalscorer with natural instincts inside the penalty area. Pedro bagged on 10 occasions in the Premier League last season, but five of those were penalties and his non-penalty xG tally stood at a measly 5.0 across the campaign - the 60th best of any player.
However, Pedro does have several eye-catching attributes that suggest he could improve dramatically when playing alongside superior players. He has a burning desire to influence matches by dropping deep and driving forward with the ball - akin to the aforementioned Palmer - while he will improve Chelsea’s ability out of possession.
Chelsea fans should expect a hard-working player who is capable of moments of genius. They shouldn't expect a natural striker and they certainly shouldn’t expect Pedro to be a consistent starter unless Maresca opts to deploy him as a winger.
Football transfer news headlines today
DONE DEALS: Every official completed transfer around Europe today
Fabrizio Romano transfer news: Chelsea SIGNING, Gyokeres BETRAYED, Man Utd ADVANCING
Jamie Gittens PASSES medical to complete €64m Chelsea move
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
