Joao Pedro has earned some of the highest praise a forward can receive and it's come from one of Chelsea's biggest legends.Â
Pedro joined the Blues from Brighton last summer, and after a slow start suffered some criticism. Some suggested he may not be suitable to play as an outright striker. Recent performances have proven skeptics wrong though.
The Brazilian scored an emphatic hat-trick against Aston Villa last week before finding the back of the net again during an FA Cup Fifth Round clash away to Wrexham on the weekend.Â
Now on 18 goals in all competitions, including 14 in the Premier League, Pedro is quickly becoming one of Liam Rosenior's most important players.Â
And former centre-back Thiago Silva has lauded the 24-year-old, identifying his movement as a key component of his game.Â
Thiago Silva believes Joao Pedro is up there with the very best
Silva left Chelsea to join Fluminense in 2024 so didn't get the chance to play alongside Pedro, but the 41-year-old, now at Porto, knows his compatriot's ability well having faced each other several times, including in last summer's FIFA Club World Cup.Â
Speaking to TNT Sports Brasil, Silva revisited their encounters and believes the Chelsea number 20's movement and strength is among the very best in the game.Â
"Joao Pedro. I faced him at Watford, at Brighton, and now at Chelsea. Joao Pedro moves a lot, right? — A lot. That’s what I was trying to say – because I put [Erling] Haaland at eight. Joao Pedro is basically on the same line as [Karim] Benzema and [Harry] Kane. I don’t mean technically, I mean in terms of movement: drifting away from you, almost playing like a false nine, and he’s physically strong.
You think he’s weak, you go in, and he already bumps into you. At the Club World Cup I gave him a shove and thought, wow, he’s gotten much stronger from last year to now."
Big praise from Silva; a man who's performed at the top for two-and-a-half decades.
20-goal milestone now within sight
Enjoying a purple patch, Pedro will undoubtedly be targeting the magic 20-goal mark in the Premier League, and with nine games still to play, the South American will feel it's within reach.
Pedro is expected to lineup against PSG in Wednesday night's Champions League Last 16 knockout first-leg, and excluding injury, will almost certainly lead the line when the Blues host Newcastle on the weekend.
The Blues still have Liverpool and both Manchester clubs to face, so if Pedro is to add to his tally, he'll need his teammates to be at their creative best throughout what is going to be a crucial run-in.