“I don’t think they” – Gary Lineker makes interesting claim about “really impressive” Chelsea ace | OneFootball

Gary Lineker believes Chelsea didn’t originally sign Joao Pedro thinking he was a striker, and have changed the position they imagined him featuring in.

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The Blues signed Pedro last summer from Brighton in a deal worth up to £60m, with the Brazil international making a big impact.

The 24-year-old made his debut at the Club World Cup last summer, and scored in both the semi final and final as Chelsea lifted the trophy.

Gary Lineker claims Chelsea have changed their Joao Pedro plan

Pedro started the Premier League season well, but went through a difficult patch towards the end of Enzo Maresca’s time in charge.

However, since Liam Rosenior took over at the start of the year, Pedro has scored eight goals in eight league games.

Pedro scored his first Chelsea hat-trick on Wednesday night against Aston Villa, to take his tally to 14 league goals.

The Brazilian is looking to become the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to score 20 league goals in a single season, and Lineker thinks the Blues didn’t originally sign Pedro thinking he was a striker.

“I don’t think they probably necessarily bought him originally as thinking he’s a nine. But I don’t know, he might be the answer to that, I think,” he told The Rest Is Football.

“I mean, what’s his record in the last, it’s 17 goals in all competitions and eight Premier League goals since Rosenior took over.

“Really impressive. Yeah, very good. I mean, and credit to the coach for getting the best out of him as well.”

Liam Delap’s struggles continue

Whilst no player has scored more league goals than Pedro in 2026, Liam Delap’s struggles have continued under Rosenior.

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Delap arrived last summer for £30m from Ipswich, but has scored just two goals in 27 appearances, with only one of those coming in the league.

With Emmanuel Emegha arriving from Strasbourg in the summer, Delap really needs a strong end to the season, and it’ll be interesting to see if anything happens with him over the summer.

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