It would be safe to say that a large section of Chelsea's support were not impressed with the decision to sign Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion this summer. The 23-year-old Brazilian international had scored 30 goals in 70 appearances for the Seagulls, a solid return but nothing out of the world. Most fans would have been happier to see the Blues bring in a proven goalscorer like Victor Osimhen or Viktor Gyokeres.
A cameo off the bench later and it looks like the opinion around Pedro has already changed. He came on against Palmeiras as Chelsea booked their place in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup and was superb.
Pedro did not appear to put a foot wrong. His technical ability shone through and his strength and desire will be positives as well if he is the one to lead the line for the Blues next season.
Perhaps Chelsea fans had not seen a lot of Pedro before this performance. But from what they saw, they were clearly impressed.
'Superstar' - Chelsea fans react to Joao Pedro's debut
Some believe that Chelsea have found their next superstar. One fan wrote: "Mark my words, Joao Pedro will become a superstar at Chelsea. That debut was incredible."
Another added: "Joao Pedro with arguably the best debut by a Chelsea player ever. This is a superstar."
For some, just that cameo performance off the bench was all they needed to see, as a fan said: "Joao Pedro is incredible I’ve seen enough."
Some were quick to admit that they had originally doubted the move: "My uncertainty around Joao Pedro, it’s been UNO reversed, passing the eye test. The touch, control and ability to hold up play has been elite."
It is also worth pointing out that Pedro arrived just a couple of days ago. One would imagine that he will be even better as he settles in. But at the same time, it is important to not get too ahead of ourselves.
We have seen incredible debuts in the recent past, only for the excitement to fade away quickly. Mykhailo Mudryk against Liverpool is a great example. On that day, it had looked like Chelsea had signed a world-class talent. We all know how it turned out.
At first view, Pedro looks like a great signing for Chelsea. There is no doubt about the technical side of his game. Nicolas Jackson is great at a lot of this stuff as well though. If the Brazilian international wants to be the club's first-choice number 9, he will need to score goals and a lot of them.