Chelsea recently completed a £21M deal to sign Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez this summer, with the well-decorated Spanish international having snubbed interest from the likes of Manchester United to make the switch to Stamford Bridge.
His arrival comes as a surprise given the competition for places in Jose Mourinho’s side, with the likes of fellow forwards Juan Cuadrado, Mohamed Salah and Andre Schurrle failing to get regular game time after such high-profile arrivals. So where will Pedro fit in?
Despite a poor start to the new season, Chelsea’s starting eleven has been picking itself for the last 12 months, with Eden Hazard, Oscar, and Willian making up an attacking-midfield trio behind the striker. However, Oscar’s poor form, coupled with Hazard’s versatility could well see the latter taking up a central role in place of the struggling Brazilian, with Pedro occupying the left-wing role as he did for so long at Barcelona.
It’s a fearsome attack, balancing industry, individual brilliance, pace, and creativity. Pedro works hard off the ball, and has operated under a high-pressing mentality for most of his career. He will find the robust Premier League somewhat of a culture shock, but has shown throughout his career that he can ride challenges with ease.
Pedro has long been subsidiary with the Catalans, and was convincing to make the switch by Spain and former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fabregas, as well as manager Jose Mourinho.
The 28-year-old is a big name to bring into the Premier League, given his impressive CV for club and country. His entire career has been spent playing under the Barcelona philosophy, so he’s a player who can play beautiful football, while producing the extraordinary.
It speaks volumes of the forward how his club teammates were begging him not to leave this summer despite Pedro being a substitute for the majority of the last season.
It’s highly unlikely he will start for Chelsea against West Bromwich Albion this weekend, but with how poorly the champions have started the new season, Mourinho will want to give him as many minutes as possible. He leaves Barcelona at the age of 28, scoring 99 goals in over 320 games for the Spanish giants, and is now likely to be ending his career in England.
Pedro will finally have the chance to prove his worth without being overshadowed by greater creative talents, but where he will fit into the side raises questions unless Mourinho does indeed opt to remove Oscar from the starting lineup.
