Chelsea might have failed to beat Leeds United on Tuesday night, but there were plenty of positives once again for Liam Rosenior as he continues his impressive start to life at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s inability to hold on to a 2-0 lead last night was hardly Rosenior’s doing. Moises Caicedo, often so reliable, brought down Jayden Bogle in the box, and a defensive mix-up resulted in a Leeds equaliser.
Issues out of Rosenior’s control. Even then, Rosenior was angry after the game for what looked to be a handball from Bogle before Noah Okafor’s equaliser. Joe Hart and Joe Cole discussed Leeds’ second.
Chelsea fans – was Rosenior to blame, or was it the players? 😤
Chelsea failed to hold on to a 2-0 lead over Leeds.
While the frustration of the draw, and Cole Palmer’s incredible miss late on will still be raw for Chelsea supporters, there were positives. One positive again, was striker Joao Pedro, who scored his 13th goal.
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Pedro has been excellent since Rosenior came in. The Brazil star has 10 goals and assists in nine games under Rosenior, scoring six goals including a brace against Napoli and Chelsea’s first last night.
Pedro then got an assist, his fourth under Rosenior, when he won a penalty. During Tuesday’s clash, Steve McManaman said he believes Pedro can finally be the long-term answer to Chelsea’s search for a striker.
Chelsea v Leeds United - Premier League
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
However, McManaman thinks it is also possible that Boehly replaces the £60m man: “I don’t see why not [Pedro being Chelsea’s long-term no.9]. It depends on what Chelsea want to do,” he said on TNT Sports.
“What the people upstairs want to do. Jackson, Nkunku, Delap, Pedro. They chop and change. Pedro has the quality to be a no.9 for Chelsea. But it’s what the owners want. The manager doesn’t have much say.”
The striker situation at Chelsea ahead of the summer
Come the summer, Chelsea’s striker options will go from three to four. Currently, Pedro, Delap and Marc Guiu will be joined by Emmanuel Emegha, who has recently suffered a long-term injury with Strasbourg.
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Chelsea will have a decision to make with Guiu. Delap may look for pastures new given his lack of game time and the fact his Chelsea move has not gone to plan. Guiu could also leave Chelsea on loan again.
There is also a decision to be made on Emegha, whether Chelsea feel he is good enough to play a part next season. Liam Rosenior is known to be a big fan of Emegha, having worked with him at Strasbourg.
Then, there is the possibility of signing a new striker. Chelsea have held talks to sign Dusan Vlahovic, with his Juventus deal ending in June. Though, Vlahovic has been touted to join Barcelona. A fluid situation.
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