Joao Pedro has hailed the mentorship of Cole Palmer, describing the Chelsea talisman as a special influence who has gone out of his way to help the Brazilian sensation adapt to life in West London.
Chelsea‘s £60 million purchase of Joao Pedro already looks to be a steal.
Pedro has bettered Didier Drogba’s first season at Chelsea, with 17 goals and nine assists to his name. And the chance to surpass Douglas Costa’s 20-goal seasons at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca even wrote Pedro off before he’d even got going at Chelsea, claiming that he wasn’t the type of striker to score 20 goals for the club.
The Brazilian keeps setting new records, but as is his nature, he’s thanking Cole Palmer for much of his success.
Enzo Maresca hang your head in shame 😬
Was he the problem?
Enzo Maresca's prediction about Joao Pedro was wrong
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Joao Pedro gives Cole Palmer credit for his rise at Chelsea
In an interview shared by BBC Sport, Joao Pedro said he loves playing alongside Cole Palmer.
“Palmer is a special player, and since I joined, he has always tried to be around and help me. I love playing with him.”
The feeling is mutual from Cole Palmer, who congratulated Pedro for his hat-trick against Aston Villa after he took to Instagram.
Palmer and Pedro have played 21 games together, in which they’ve have nine goal contributions.
Discuss: Joao Pedro is the new Didier Drogba 🔥
He's overtaken the Chelsea icon's first-season numbers.
Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro hold the key for Chelsea
The partnership between Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro has been vital to Chelsea’s mid-season resurgence under Liam Rosenior. While Enzo Maresca struggled to prevent the two from stepping on each other’s toes in central areas, Rosenior has successfully used the Brazilian as the sole striker.
The 4-1 demolition of Aston Villa evidenced this, where Palmer’s vision and Pedro’s movement combined for four goal involvements.
No longer competing for the same pockets of space, the duo has evolved into a complementary force: Palmer provides the creativity from deep, while Pedro offers the clinical finishing.
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