Joao Pedro has started the season in impressive form for Chelsea, following his £60 million move from Brighton in July.
Former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo believes the Brazilian striker has the potential to score over 20 Premier League goals this season, helping the Blues close the gap on Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City. In six competitive appearances so far, Joao Pedro has scored five goals, including two in the first three league games.
In addition to his goal-scoring, he has provided two assists, with his link-up play drawing attention. Joao Pedro and Liam Delap together cost Chelsea £90 million over the summer, while Nicolas Jackson was loaned to Bayern Munich in a deal potentially worth £70 million to Chelsea.
While Delap is sidelined for several weeks with a hamstring injury, Joao Pedro has impressed as a more immediate attacking threat. Chelsea’s previous top scorer, Cole Palmer, netted 15 goals last season, but the last traditional No.9 to hit 20 or more goals for Chelsea was Diego Costa in 2016/17. Di Matteo believes Joao Pedro could replicate that feat.
Di Matteo praised Joao Pedro’s natural goal-scoring instincts: “He can get you a goal out of nothing and doesn’t need many chances. Sometimes you need players who can unlock defences, and so far, Joao Pedro has shown he can do that. Hopefully he can score 20-plus goals and raise the level for the team.”
On his potential impact against top teams, Di Matteo added: “I watched him in America during the Club World Cup. He was very impressive and seems to have a great understanding with his new teammates from the start. It didn’t even look like he was a new player.”
