Chelsea have been offered a much-needed boost as they look to keep hold of one of their best players this summer. It is once again a time of change at Stamford Bridge, as the Blues search for a new manager while preparing for the final run-in that includes the FA Cup final.
It has been a tough season for the Blues, and it may be that only an FA Cup win will be enough to secure European football after a disastrous run under Liam Rosenior and beyond his sacking.
Chelsea needs to secure this next appointment, and it could be key to keeping hold of top players who will want European football sooner rather than later. The right manager may be able to get those players to buy in, while another inexperienced manager may leave players looking elsewhere.
Joao Pedro remains valuable to Chelsea
One of the players Chelsea will be desperate to keep hold of, given he has been the shining light of this season, is Joao Pedro. The summer arrival has scored 20 goals and provided 8 assists, which is a tremendous return, especially for a player on a struggling team by the usual metrics.
With Liam Delap struggling, Chelsea have relied heavily on Pedro, and the last thing the club wants to do as it starts a new regime is lose such an important player.
Barcelona have been linked over recent days, but according to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have no intention of selling, and a deal will be near impossible.
“Joao Pedro is very important to Chelsea, they won’t want to sell him to FC Barcelona," Romano said on his YouTube channel. "Barcelona really like Joao Pedro, they consider him as a fantastic striker.
“But Chelsea are absolutely considering Joao Pedro as a crucial part of the project. After a difficult season, to sell probably the only player who performed in a top, top way, like Pedro will be complicated.”
Chelsea paid £55million upfront plus £5million in add-ons to sign Pedro, and it's likely the Brazilian's value has already risen after a superb first season. But the Blues are extremely unlikely to cash in. In fact, they need to focus their efforts on finding a new striker to replace Delap rather than selling the one proven frontman they have.
Nicolas Jackson may yet get another chance when he returns, but that will be for the new manager to decide whenever a permanent option is finalised.
Add us as a preferred source on Google