With the addition of Joao Pedro, Chelsea has a 'piled up' attack line again

Chelsea have never stopped causing controversy in the transfer windows under their new owners.

Chelsea now have a lot of strikers

However, the Joao Pedro deal - the 18th striker brought in in just over three years - once again made fans ask: What are Chelsea really building?

£60m is a lot of money, especially for a player who has never scored more than 11 Premier League goals in a season. But Joao Pedro is not an isolated case. He is the latest cog in Chelsea's chaotic transfer machine - where the presence of young players, long-term contracts and high transfer fees have become an almost unchangeable formula.

A “Chelsea-style” contract

Joao Pedro, 23, arrives from Brighton after scoring 30 goals in 70 games since 2023. He was the Seagulls’ record signing when he arrived from Watford for nearly £30m. That sum has doubled in just two years – a testament to the player’s development, but also a reflection of Chelsea’s reckless transfer strategy.

It was no surprise that Pedro signed an eight-year contract – a signature of Chelsea’s post-Roman Abramovich era. However, since the Premier League closed the financial loophole that allowed transfer fees to be amortised over the length of the contract, this strategy has become less effective. Chelsea can no longer spread their risk as they once did.

Chelsea currently have at least eight attacking players capable of starting: Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, Marc Guiu, Tyrique George and Liam Delap. That’s not to mention Estevao Willian – the Brazilian wonderkid who is set to arrive after the Club World Cup – and Jamie Gittens, the 20-year-old winger who Chelsea have agreed to sign from Dortmund for £55m.

Amidst that personnel storm, what is Joao Pedro's purpose? According to insiders, he is planned for the number 9 or number 10 position - replacing Nkunku, who is likely to leave Stamford Bridge.

Joao Pedro is about to join Chelsea.

Pedro has the ability to drop deep, combine, hold up the ball and support other strikers, something that Nicolas Jackson, the traditional centre-forward, still lacks. At the same time, Pedro is not a “pure winger”, so he brings a central attacking option - something Chelsea sometimes lack against opponents who play deep.

Coach Edu Rubio - who worked at West Ham, Palace and Wolves - highly appreciated Pedro: "He has ball-playing qualities, good physical strength, plays intelligently without the ball and fits the philosophy of coach Enzo Maresca. Although he has not scored many goals, Pedro has the potential to become a different factor if put in the right position."

Strategy or patchwork?

In theory, Chelsea buys not only for professional needs, but also to serve business strategy: buy young players, high resale value, low salary, sign long contracts to avoid "losing everything". However, the reality on the pitch is putting a big question mark on this plan.

Chelsea have spent £1.32bn in the last seven transfer windows, with £560m spent on strikers. Including the upcoming Gittens deal, that figure will surpass £1.5bn. However, the results have not been consistent: many new recruits such as Madueke, Mudryk, Jackson and Nkunku have had inconsistent performances and have not lived up to expectations.

Under Maresca, the squad is starting to take shape, but the constant personnel changes are still a concern. While Cole Palmer is “untouchable”, names like Jackson, Madueke or even Guiu and George are uncertain. Players like Joao Felix, Sterling, Broja - once expected - are now all for sale or pushed out of the plan.

Chelsea are "changing blood" the squad.

There is no denying that Chelsea are “changing blood” to fit a new philosophy, especially when they return to the Champions League. But having too many attacking players at the same time makes the club prone to waste, dressing room chaos and loss of squad cohesion.

Chelsea have found ways to circumvent the Premier League’s financial constraints. Most recently, the sale of their women’s team to parent company BlueCo for nearly £200m – bringing the entire football ecosystem onto one financial sheet and creating a legitimate spending space. In addition, qualification for the Champions League and Club World Cup this season has brought in a significant amount of revenue.

However, these are only short-term solutions. If the performance on the field continues to be unstable and the value of players does not increase, Chelsea's "buy cheap - sell high" plan will become a double-edged sword. Especially in the context that other clubs are also following this model, the youth player market is being pushed up in price and fiercely competitive.

Joao Pedro is not an unreasonable signing. He has Premier League experience, the ideal age, and the skills to fit Maresca’s system. But in the context of Chelsea’s current squad, he is one of many pieces in a puzzle that is still not complete.

Chelsea need more than smart transfer planning - they need stability, long-term vision and a clear framework. Otherwise, no matter how many Pedros they add, the attacking equation at Stamford Bridge will remain a mess.

Source: https://znews.vn/them-joao-pedro-chelsea-lai-chat-dong-hang-cong-post1565649.html