Despite their best efforts, Newcastle United have missed out on Joao Pedro to Chelsea.
He is no longer a Brighton player, with Pedro joining Chelsea for a deal worth up to £60million with add-ons.
That is despite Newcastle United trying to sign Pedro. They pushed to bring the Brazilian to Tyneside, but he opted to go to West London instead.
It has been suggested that Pedro’s preference was to live in London, but the forward was not totally against the prospect of living in the North East.
FBL-WC-CLUB-2025-TRAINING-CHELSEA
Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
Newcastle United do not think they moved fast enough to sign Joao Pedro
Geordie Boot Boys understand that Pedro was open to joining Newcastle United, and Toon officials believe there was a deal to be done.
As reported by the Athletic, a Newcastle United insider has suggested that they could have struck a deal for Pedro if they had acted earlier in June.
However, the Athletic suggest this is optimistic and that Chelsea were always in a strong position to sign him.
That is exactly what they have done, as July begins with Pedro officially becoming a Chelsea player. He is already set to make his debut, with the 23-year-old currently out in America with his new teammates ahead of the Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
Why Newcastle United think Joao Pedro picked Chelsea
As well as a preference to reside in the capital, Newcastle United believe playing time was also a factor in Pedro’s decision.
The Athletic add that Newcastle are of the belief that Pedro felt he would play more regularly as a striker at Stamford Bridge compared to St James’ Park.
That is a fair assessment, as the Magpies’ main striker is always going to be Alexander Isak. While Howe did want to play Isak and Pedro together, his preferred formation is 4-3-3. That only accommodates for one striker.
While Pedro would have been a regular starter on Tyneside, he may have spent more time playing out wide.
He actually has more competition to play up front at Chelsea, with Enzo Maresca already having Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap in his squad. But Pedro will back himself to win that battle and be Chelsea’s main striker, which is an honour he never would have had at Newcastle United.