Why £50m+ deal for Firmino style attacker is a “genuinely smart piece of business” | OneFootball

Chelsea’s latest incoming transfer was confirmed over the weekend, with Fabrizio Romano and others claiming that a deal for Brighton attacker Joao Pedro was done. He’s nominally a striker, and comes into a position where we’ve already got Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson competing.

So why did the Blues move for Joao Pedro, and what does he offer that their other attacking options don’t?

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What Joao Pedro brings to the table for Enzo Maresca’s team

Joao Pedro with a Chelsea logo. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

One person who is convinced of the deal as a good idea is Mark Carey of the Athletic. He called the £50m+ signing of a “genuinely smart piece of business.”

His main thought is that the 23 year old is a “profile… that Maresca does not have in the squad” that could be “a crucial part of Chelsea’s attacking jigsaw.”

He notes that while Jackson and Delap usually preferring running in behind, JP “is far more natural making runs towards the ball,” looking to create for wingers and attacking midfielders instead of just scoring himself.

We’d better hope he does plenty of that – his rate of 0.22 non penalty goals per 90 is hardly prolific.

Wingers could feast with Firmino-style attacker on board

Pedro’s link up play and ability on the ball is compared to Roberto Firmino during his peak years at Liverpool – not topping the scoring charts himself, but helping Mo Salah and Sadio Mane break records. Chelsea’s current crop of wingers Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, Tyrique George and impending new arrival Jamie Gittens should all be very excited about what the Brazil capped star can bring.

They won’t have to wait long – he can potentially be registered in time to play in the knockout rounds of the Club World Cup.