Can Pedro help kick-start Chelsea’s season?

Chelsea will be looking to new signing Pedro to provide an attacking spark this season

Yesterday Premier League champions Chelsea completed the signing of Spanish winger Pedro from Barcelona for a fee in the region of £21.4million.

The deal came as a big surprise considering the World Cup winner looked to be heading to Premier League rivals Manchester United.

Coup

The signing is something of a coup for the Blues, as it was heavily speculated that Pedro was indeed joining Old Trafford.

Instead apparently a chat with current Chelsea central midfielder and Spain teammate Cesc Fabregas led to Pedro heading for London.

Excellent

At 28-years-old Pedro may not have much of a sell-on value, but for a club like Chelsea that may not matter too much. His signing is all about the present and at present Pedro looks to be an excellent signing for the Blues.

Pedro has been one of the unsung heroes of Barcelona for nearly decade. He may not have the same glitz and glamour attached to him of the likes of former teammates Lionel Messi, or Neymar, but he made a valuable contribution to the European giants in recent years.

In fact in the last five years the Messi-Pedro combination had produced more goals than any other pairing in La Liga.

He will add pace, directness and a football intelligence that seems to come natural to La Masia graduates. The World Cup winner also works hard, which is probably a facet of his game that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho appreciates the most.

Winner

Pedro has a football CV that would put most contemporaries to shame. He has literally won every trophy there is to win in both club and international football in his career. At international level with Spain he has won the European Championship twice and also the World Cup in 2010.

As part of the Barcelona squad for so long he has is accustomed to picking up silverware, having won La Liga five times and the Champions League on three occasions with the Catalan giants among other trophies.

Missing

Chelsea have started the campaign in a sluggish manner. The Blues lost the Community Shield, then drew their opening day game 2-2 at home to Swansea, before suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of title-rivals Manchester City last weekend.

At the moment something is missing from the Blues team. The same spark and energy of last season is just not present in the Chelsea team at the moment. They need something to re-energise their season and may be Pedro will do just that.

The Spanish international provides a different threat to the one posed by the likes of Eden Hazard, Willian and Oscar. His searing pace will add a different dimension to the Blues attack.

Right

It seems that Pedro is likely to play much of his football at Chelsea on the right-wing, with Belgium international Eden Hazard on the left. Pedro will be a major threat from that right-wing position for the Blues.

Spending

It seems that Mourinho’s slow start to the campaign will be to spend money. The Blues are still being heavily linked with a move for Everton and England centre-back John Stones, who the Toffees are stating is not for sale.

Mourinho is unlikely to be deterred, as he looks to put that missing spark back into his team. He spent very little money prior to the season starting.

Recently though the Portuguese boss has spent nearly £50million on highly-rated Ghana full-back Baba Rahman and Pedro in an attempt to improve the team’s fortunes this season. Obviously all is not well in the champion’s camp.

It seems that the former-Real Madrid boss may have made an error by not strengthening his squad earlier in the summer, although he is unlikely to ever admit to making an error.

Star

Pedro may have had to live in the shadow of Messrs Messi, Suarez and Neymar in Catalonia, but in the Premier League he has the ability to shine like the star he is. The Spaniard could prove to be a pivotal signing for Chelsea, who are now odds of 10/3 to win the Premier League title this season.

 Can Pedro help kick-start Chelsea’s season?