19 forwards & £600m later… is Joao Pedro the frontman Chelsea need?

Before Sunday’s Club World Cup final, Joao Pedro may have had a head start over his new attacking teammates, who aren’t particularly wealthy in the forward department.

The Brazilian, who left Brighton last week for Chelsea, is one of 19 players signing for the Blues under their American owners, who have spent £600m on attacking players since assuming control of the club in 2022.

The frontman made his debut against Fluminense, his boyhood side, on Saturday in the Club World Cup quarter-final victory over Palmeiras, and made two stunning strikes either side of half-time.

The Brazilian arrowed a stunning drive past 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio and into the far corner to start the scoring with 18 minutes left. He collected a half-cleared cross in the corner of the penalty area.

His second, which he received shortly after he ran onto Enzo Fernandez’s throughball from close to the halfway line, darted into the box, and hit a right-footed shot into the net via the crossbar, was just asaesthetically pleasing.

Joao Pedro’s goalscoring prowess on Tuesday have already paid off more than a third of his transfer fee, with Chelsea set to receive £21.9 million for reaching the final, which will face either Real Madrid or Paris St-Germain.

He later admitted to telling DAZN, “It was a dream.” It “couldn’t have gone any better,” he said.

I’m pleased that I managed to score my first goal. My first title would be [the Club World Cup]. I only recently arrived, and I’m going to compete in the final.

This summer, Enzo Maresca’s side have had little success developing their attacking options, signing Joao Pedro, Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund, Liam Delap from Brazil, and Estevao Willian from Palmeiras.

After leaving Watford in 2023, the former Brighton striker has signed to offer competition for the positions nine and ten. He has 30 goals in 70 games for the Seagulls.

And he made a fantastic full debut at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium to stake his claim to a regular spot on Maresca’s team.

On three of his three attempts, the Brazilian found the net with both of his efforts successful. No other Blues player recorded as many shots on target as Christopher Nkunku did, while no other player did.

Before being replaced by Nicolas Jackson at the hour mark, the forward also provided the Blues with an attacking focal point, winning nine duels and four aerial duels.

Only Marc Cucurella and Trevoh Chalobah participated in as many aerial tussles as Nkunku and Moises Caicedo, who both had significantly longer on the pitch overall.

Former Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale said on DAZN, “It’s not just the goals.” It’s the passing, the vision, and the link-up play. Overall, it was a fantastic performance.

“This is the next step in his career,” he said. He is heading in the right direction. He has good abilities, and we can only hope that he can keep going.

Callum Wilson, an England forward, stated: “He already has the confidence to hit the ground running right away, and that’s exactly what he has done.”

Against Fluminense, Joao Pedro threw 26 passes. Only Jackson has attempted to score as many touches in a game among Chelsea’s first five Club World Cup starts.

Far from it, though, that the Brazilians added any touches to the opposition half.

In Tuesday’s semi-final, he was involved throughout the pitch, scoring seven touches inside his own half.

After the game, Maresca stated, “The good thing about Joao is that we already knew how good he was,” noting that he had spoken with former Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi before signing him.

He played deep today, but we are aware that he can drop deep and link up the play. We made the decision to bring him in because of this.

Delap’s only other two touches inside his own half after Chelsea’s final group game against Tunis were against Palmeiras, compared to Jackson’s only four touches on the field during the Blues’ half.

Joao Pedro also had a bigger impact in wide areas, frequently appearing on both flanks to influence Chelsea’s build-up play.

In the final third of the pitch, Delap and Jackson made the majority of their touches in central areas.

Before Tuesday’s game, Joseo Pedro said, “Every team has a different style to play: Delap has a style, Jackson has another, and I have my way.”

Who will play, in my opinion, will win.