Snubbed Chelsea star is best player in Premier League right now | OneFootball

Joao Pedro was surprisingly left out of the Brazil squad for the World Cup. And he appears to have taken that personally…

The Chelsea striker has channelled his frustration over being snubbed by Carlo Ancelotti – as his extended family filmed themselves preparing to celebrate his inclusion – by starting the Premier League season on fire.

Not only was Pedro named as the Premier League Player of the Month for August, the centre-forward also ranks as the division’s best player so far.

In fact, our friends at Gradient Sports ranked him as the best player in Europe’s top five leagues through the early part of 2026/27.

Pedro has achieved all that thanks in large part to three goals and three assists in four games; his six goal contributions are two more than any other Premier League player.

While Xabi Alonso might claim to have unlocked the potential in Pedro, a player the manager has likened to former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema, it helps being supported by Chelsea’s record signing Morgan Rogers to his left and, on the right, Cole Palmer, who appears to have relocated his mojo. An England recall beckons.

Between the trio, they have combined for eight goals and six assists in the Premier League. In all competitions, those numbers swell to 10 goals and 10 assists.

Pedro, though, is the most impressive as the spearhead of Alonso’s attack.

The 24-year-old currently leads the 381 Premier League players in both Overall Grade and Impact Score.

Let us explain: Gradient’s dynamic player rankings combine two key indicators: Overall Grade and Impact Score. Overall Grade indicates how well a player executes the skills most important to their position; Impact Score tells us how frequently a player delivers the outcomes most important to their position.

With Pedro top of the league for both scores, he is a clear leader here…

Gradient Premier League player rankings – 2026/27. 

1) Joao Pedro (Chelsea) Overall grade: 90.0 Impact score: 8.2

2) Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) Overall grade: 87.9 Impact score: 8.0

3) Marc Guehi (Manchester City) Overall grade: 88.6 Impact score: 7.6

4) Erling Haaland (Manchester City) Overall grade: 82.4 Impact score: 8.0

5) Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) Overall grade: 84.6 Impact score: 7.9

6) Rayan Cherki (Manchester City) Overall grade: 84.3 Impact score: 7.9

7) Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) Overall grade: 81.9 Impact score: 7.9

8) Cole Palmer (Chelsea) Overall grade: 78.2 Impact score: 8.1

9) Elliot Anderson (Manchester City) Overall grade: 89.8 Impact score: 7.3

10) Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City) Overall grade: 84.1 Impact score: 7.7

Pedro’s success so far is founded on the basic no.9 principles. Drilling down into his key grades, he ranks third among the Premier League’s forwards for shooting; second for pressurised shooting; top for aerial duels; third for dribbling; and top 10 for ball control.

Not only has he taken the Premier League by storm – Gradient ranks Pedro first of all 1855 players to have played in Europe’s top five leagues, pushing Lamine Yamal into second place.