Liam Rosenior, head coach of Chelsea, has hailed striker Joao Pedro, suggesting he is on par with elite forwards like Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappe.
The 24-year-old Brazil international recently netted a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa, bringing his season total to 17 goals across all competitions.
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Remarkably, all 14 of his Premier League goals have come from open play, with Haaland being the only player to score more non-penalty goals in the league this season, totaling 19. In Europe’s top five leagues, Kane leads with 20 non-penalty goals for Bayern Munich, while Mbappe has registered 15 for Real Madrid.
When asked about Joao Pedro’s performance level, Rosenior stated: “Joao is definitely in that category now. Since I arrived here two months ago, he has consistently shown he is a world-class striker.”
“I usually talk about my players without comparison, as it would be unfair to Erling. From what I see, he looks like a fantastic, world-class striker.”
“At this moment, I wouldn’t swap Joao for anyone else—he exhibits all the qualities I desire.”
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“The exciting thing for Joao is his age; he still has room for improvement, and I’ve identified several areas where he can grow. However, he’s currently performing at a world-class level, and it’s our collective responsibility to maintain that.”
Chelsea, set to meet Wrexham in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, hopes Joao Pedro can become their first true striker to score 20 goals in a season since Diego Costa achieved this feat in 2016-17. In the intervening years, only two players have reached that milestone: Cole Palmer with 25 in the 2023-24 season and Eden Hazard with 21 as a winger five years prior.
How Does Joao Pedro Compare?
It’s evident that Joao Pedro is making a notable impact on the pitch, particularly in the realm of non-penalty goals this season.
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When factoring in penalties, Joao Pedro has recorded eight fewer league goals than Haaland (22), nine fewer than Mbappe (23), and 16 fewer than Kane (30). However, it seems unlikely he will take on penalty duties soon, as Palmer primarily handles them for Chelsea, having missed only one out of 19 since joining in September 2023.
In terms of assists, Joao Pedro has five, putting him ahead of Mbappe and equal with Kane, while Haaland has seven. He has also taken significantly fewer shots, registering just 57 attempts compared to Kane’s 96, the next-lowest total.
As a result, Joao Pedro’s shot conversion rate of 24.6% surpasses that of Haaland (22.5%) and Mbappe (20.7%), although it remains below Kane’s impressive 31.3%.
This season at Chelsea is proving to be the most efficient one for Joao Pedro to date, yet Haaland, Kane, and Mbappe have far surpassed his output over multiple seasons.
Since the 2023-24 season began—when he transferred from Watford to Brighton—Joao Pedro has tallied 33 league goals, including 24 non-penalty goals, along with 14 assists. Yet, in all categories, he trails behind his peers. Kane leads with 92 total goals, 68 non-penalty goals, and 21 assists—more than Joao Pedro, Haaland, or Mbappe in each statistic.
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This indicates that although Joao Pedro has made tremendous strides in his career, he will need consistent performance over several seasons to be truly recognized among the football elite.