Rosenior puts Joao Pedro with Mbappe and Haaland – but hints Chelsea need another striker

Robin Bairner

• 7 Mar 2026 07:31 CST
• 4 min read

News

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has put Joao Pedro in the same bracket of striker as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland – but in comments made on Friday suggested he still wants new faces up front at Stamford Bridge.

Joao Pedro is enjoying an impressive first season with the Blues, with his latest contribution coming in the form of a hat-trick against Aston Villa on Wednesday. This took his total for the season to 17 goals across all competitions.

Having arrived in a €64 million deal from Brighton, Rosenior believes that he has a “world-class” talent on his hands.

Joao Pedro is as good as Mbappe and Haaland - Rosenior

The Chelsea manager was asked if Joao Pedro is at the same level of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, and he is adamant the Brazilian is.

“Joao is in that category now. In the two months I've been here, he has consistently shown he is a world‑class striker,” he said (via BBC Sport)

“I wouldn't swap Joao for anyone at this moment - he is showing all the qualities and attributes I want to see.

“The great thing for Joao is his age - he can still improve, and I've already noticed several areas where he can get better. But the level he's operating at now is world class, and it's my job, the club's job and his job to keep him there.”

Rosenior wants competition for Joao Pedro

Beyond Joao Pedro, Chelsea have struggled for goals this season. Enzo Fernandez has chipped in with 11 from central midfield and Pedro Neto has 10 off the wing, but otherwise Cole Palmer is the only other player to hit double figures, with half of his 10 goals penalties.

When making comments about goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, Rosenior hinted that he will be on the lookout for another centre-forward this summer.

“I want there to be competition in every area of the pitch,” he said ahead of Sanchez being rested in the FA Cup.

Right now, Chelsea do not have competition in the No.9 role.

Joao Pedro is not being pushed by either Marc Guiu or Liam Delap, who have combined for just four goals.

Particular disappointment will be reserved for Delap, who had been signed after a successful season with Ipswich last term. The England U21 international has struggled through injury this term but one Premier League goal in over 700 minutes of action represents a poor return on Chelsea’s €35.5m investment.

Rosenior’s comments on Joao Pedro may indicate he’s happy with one of his strikers, but the reality is that the Chelsea boss will likely be searching for more depth in that area this summer.

Assessing Rosenior's Joao Pedro claim

Certainly, there is some limited room for improvement.

SciSports believes that while Joao Pedro is an impressive striker, he's not up there with Haaland or Mbappe yet. Indeed, even at his peak, the Brazilian is unlikely to climb to such peaks, the data analytics experts show.

Using its SciSkill index, which rates players based on hundreds of in-game data points, there remains a gap between the Blues' hitman and those players generally considered to be among the very best in the game.

What is clear, though, is that Chelsea's striker is in the midst of a period of rapid development and is in a rich vein of form - and that can only been good news for the club.

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