On Wednesday night in Naples, we saw what a few Chelsea fans like to refer to as ‘CWC JP’.
That is the Club World Cup version of Joao Pedro. The 24-year-old Brazilian arrived halfway through that FIFA jamboree and made many think Chelsea had nabbed yet another good one from Brighton following on from successes such as Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella.
Joao Pedro impressed immediately, the £60million signing practically paying for himself in the United States. He scored twice in the semi-finals versus Fluminense, then in the final against Paris Saint-Germain, and was a worthy world champion amid an exhibition of finesse and explosion.
However, Enzo Maresca used him nonstop once the 2025-26 season started, partially out of necessity due to others’ problems. Joao Pedro himself had injury issues throughout September and October. He asked to be taken out of the starting line-up before one game away at Brentford but Maresca declined that request, using him for 79 minutes in that 2-2 draw.
It was agreed he should stick to his own training schedule and so he spent weeks not participating fully in sessions but remaining available for selection while Liam Delap and Cole Palmer were sidelined, and, perhaps naturally, he struggled for consistency amid that pressure.
Now under Liam Rosenior, Delap and Palmer are there to help, and Joao Pedro is Chelsea’s top scorer in all competitions this season – his two second-half goals against Napoli securing them their coveted top-eight finish in the Champions League.
Joao Pedro is Chelsea’s top scorer in all competitions this season – his two second-half goals against Napoli securing them their coveted top-eight finish in the Champions League
The Brazilian forward (bottom left) impressed immediately after he joined from Brighton for £60million last summer, jetting out to the States and helping Chelsea win the Club World Cup
Chelsea are glad they beat others to Joao Pedro in a package worth £60m – £55m plus £5m in add-ons. It would cost more than that to sign him now, at a time when Wolves have been seeking a similar fee for their striker, Jorgen Strand Larsen, and with the CIES Football Observatory telling us their supercomputer values Joao Pedro at £87m.
Attackers are judged on goals and assists, and Joao Pedro’s return has been respectable, particularly when compared to the other striker signings made in the summer of 2025.
Manchester United paid £73.3m for Benjamin Sesko. Arsenal paid £64m for Viktor Gyokeres. Liverpool spent a British record £125m on Alexander Isak. Joao Pedro has more Premier League goals involvements (11) than any of that trio – along with other summer signings such as Thierno Barry at Everton, Hugo Ekitike at Liverpool, Igor Jesus at Nottingham Forest and Nick Woltemade at Newcastle.
There are some talents in that list above, and Rosenior is working on unlocking Joao Pedro, believing he is capable of much more under him at Chelsea. Avoiding a two-legged Champions League play-off will help as the new Blues boss has been craving time on the training ground with his players.
Rosenior told Daily Mail Sport in Naples that he estimates he has had Joao Pedro in his office at Cobham at least four times for conversations since taking over from Maresca. That is not too unusual. Rosenior likes speaking individually with players so he understands them better and vice versa.
But Joao Pedro is certainly a regular – with his new head coach insisting that he ups his intensity. That means more running, including when he is the one initiating the high press. ‘The harder you work, the better you are as a player,’ Rosenior has told him.
Joao Pedro felt like he was the main man at Brighton. At Chelsea, he realises he cannot act like the only star in the room, and Daily Mail Sport has been told that he and Palmer have a healthy rapport, with both genuinely happy when they can help the other.
Joao Pedro is someone who likes coming towards the ball and taking an opposition defender with him in tow. We have seen him score that way in Chelsea’s last two games.
Joao Pedro rifles his shot into the top corner in Naples to set Chelsea on their way to victory
Joao Pedro felt like he was the main man at Brighton. At Chelsea, he realises he cannot act like the only star in the room
Joao Pedro had injury issues throughout September and October. He asked to be taken out of the starting line-up before one game away at Brentford but then boss Enzo Maresca declined
Against Napoli, Joao Pedro dropped to pick up possession, held it up, laid it off to Palmer, turned, sprinted in behind, received the return pass to complete the one-two, and scored. It was extremely similar to his goal versus Crystal Palace, except it was Estevao Willian with whom he exchanged a one-two that time, rather than Palmer.
Arguably, Delap is better at holding up the ball. He is more of an old-school No 9 – someone who does not mind being used as a battering ram.
The second goal scored by Napoli against Chelsea came when Joao Pedro failed to bring Cucurella’s clearance under his spell. Eleven seconds later, Rasmus Hojlund was giving the Italian giants a 2-1 lead.
But Joao Pedro is versatile. He is considered someone who can cover most, if not all, positions across a front line. He likes one-v-ones, operating in smaller spaces, and bringing a No 10 vibe to the No 9 role.
There is room for improvement, but he is a confident boy. Joao Pedro has openly discussed his dream of winning the Ballon d’Or someday and leading the line for Brazil at this summer’s World Cup. Brilliant braces like his one for Chelsea in Naples will do him no harm with the latter target.
Joao Pedro’s personal profile is on the rise, too. He had a leading role to play in a new adidas advert – his acting was surprisingly good – and he has a sponsorship deal with Beats by Dre which is why you will see him wearing his bright yellow customised headphones with a ‘JP’ logo on the side when he arrives at games.
His representatives have also had him do interviews with two English newspapers already since signing for Chelsea and, yes, we were one of them.
We are getting used to seeing Joao Pedro’s unique ‘ninja’ celebration
He has a sponsorship deal with Beats by Dre which is why you will see him wearing his bright yellow customised headphones when he arrives at games
We are getting used to seeing his unique ‘ninja’ celebration – when he covers his face with one hand while crossing his ring and middle fingers and performs a thumbs down with the other.
It was a friend who initially asked him to perform that for him while he was at Brighton before Chelsea and it stuck. Apparently, it may be to do with an anime character called Kakashi – no, me neither – but there is nothing wrong with a footballer trying to stand out from the others.
Just look at Palmer, who has now trademarked his own ‘Cold’ logo and has kids copying his celebration in playgrounds.
If Joao Pedro can continue to impress at Chelsea with Rosenior’s help, there are bound to be children back in Brazil mimicking his ‘ninja’ moves, too.
