Ben Foster has been comparing different Premier League players in his latest podcast and he weighed up whether he would pick Chelsea’s Joao Pedro, or Liverpool star Hugo Ekitike.
Pedro has been a sensational signing for Chelsea, joining the club from Brighton for a £60m fee last summer. He has since had a hand in 30 goals in all competitions for the Blues, in just 42 appearances.
Under Enzo Maresca, Pedro showed quality but perhaps lacked the consistency many expected. The Chelsea striker has since admitted he was playing with an injury in the first half of the 2025-26 season.
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His hat-trick at Villa Park takes him to 14!
Chelsea's Brazilian striker #20 Joao Pedro scores
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
But with Rosenior at the helm, Pedro is sparkling. The Chelsea star has had a hand in 16 goals in just 13 games under the new manager – but is he better than Liverpool’s £79m summer signing Hugo Ekitike?
Ben Foster picks Joao Pedro over Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike
According to Foster, Pedro’s former teammate at Watford, the Chelsea star is the better player. The former England goalkeeper made his point without trying to be biased on his latest YouTube podcast.
Foster explains that Pedro has scored more goals than Ekitike without being an out-and-out striker, while also mentioning Pedro’s 152 Premier League duels won, compared to Ekitike who has won just 89.
Hugo Ekitike playing for Liverpool
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
“This is a tough one. There’s a bit of a difference, Ekitike is a no.9, he’s a striker isn’t he. Joao Pedro isn’t quite a striker yet, I don’t think he’s even learnt the trade of how to be a proper striker yet,” Foster said.
“But he’s outscoring Hugo Ekitike and he’s not a full bonafide striker. That is why I would pick Joao Pedro, he’s already scoring goals and he’s still not the striker yet. The potential is massive, but so is Ekitike’s.
“Unbelievably good in the air, smart, strong, quick as well. I’m picking Pedro for what I said, an all-action forward, he can play on the left, right, in behind. Duels won (152) to Ekitike’s (89), you can rely on him.”
What is the secret behind Joao Pedro’s renewed form?
Chelsea will fly to Paris over the course of the next 24 hours ahead of their Champions League clash against PSG on Wednesday night. If there is one name already on the team sheet, it will be striker Pedro.
Discuss: Joao Pedro is the new Didier Drogba 🔥
Numbers prior to Wrexham win.
Speaking ahead of the Champions League last 16 first-leg clash, Pedro says that his excellent form is down to the conversations he has with Rosenior. He says Rosenior has been honest in his feedback.
The former Brighton and Watford star says he prefers this, because it prevents him from becoming complacent: “He told me that he already knew who I was and wanted to help me develop.
“That’s something I like to hear from a coach because without that feedback, it’s easy to become complacent. I’m a player who always wants to improve, to reach my highest potential level.”
Chelsea’s injury list is beginning to shorten, with Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo back. But Jamie Gittens and Estevao are expected to miss the PSG clash. PSG will be without Fabian Ruiz, possibly Joao Neves.
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