Italian media believed that Enzo Maresca has hit the ‘jackpot’ for the signing of Joao Pedro as the new season closes in.
Chelsea beat Newcastle to the signing of the Brazilian earlier this summer after Brighton sanctioned his exit. While the 23-year-old didn’t disappoint under Fabian Hurzeler, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists for the Seagulls, Brighton were prepared to sell the versatile forward.
The Blues ultimately won the race for the young Brazilian, and he’s made a superb start to life in the capital. Pedro scored both goals in the Club World Cup semi-final win over Fluminense before getting on the scoresheet in the showpiece event as the Blues beat PSG 3-0 last month.
And Pedro didn’t stop there, netting in pre-season wins over Bayer Leverkusen on Friday and then AC Milan on Sunday as Chelsea prepare for a quick turnaround between the Club World Cup and the start of the Premier League season.
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Pedro's a hit on Fantasy Premier League
Fantasy Football fans have also jumped on the Pedro bandwagon and with less than a week to go until the start of the season, the Brazil international is the third most owned player in the game with 54.1% behind only teammate Cole Palmer (56.1%) and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah (55.3%).
Having made an immediate impact following his move to Chelsea from Brighton – following in the footsteps of current first teamers Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo – Italian media believe Maresca has hit the ‘jackpot’ with Pedro after another goalscoring display.
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“Enzo Maresca has hit the jackpot so far with Joao Pedro,” Tuttomercatoweb wrote after his fine showing against AC Milan.
“Joao Pedro has been in enviable form ever since he started wearing the Chelsea shirt, and by the halfway point of the Club World Cup, he had already given a taste of his penalty-box poacher instincts against Fluminense,” they enthused.
“A brace that knocked out the Brazilians and allowed the Blues to reach the final - which they later won - against European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
“Even after the Club World Cup, Joao Pedro has continued to make his presence felt in the box. His scoring streak has carried on without interruption, including today (Sunday) - just eight minutes into the friendly match against Milan - with an unstoppable header.”
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Maresca praise for Delap and Pedro
While Liam Delap was the high-profile striker arrival, the former Ipswich man happy to take the cursed number 9 shirt, it’s Pedro who is winning the headlines following his move to Stamford Bridge.
Maresca, though, was quick to praise both strikers after the AC Milan win, stating: “They will score goals for sure and miss goals for sure. But at the end, they are going to help us.”
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Pedro now has five goals in four matches for Chelsea and if he can continue his rich vein of form, then the Blues are set for another impressive campaign.
Topics: Chelsea, Enzo Maresca, Fantasy Football, Football, Premier League, Transfers
Ben McAleer