Chelsea forward Joao Pedro's former teammate, Keinan Davis, has stated that he wouldn't be surprised if the Brazilian joins Arsenal in the near future. Davis also waxed lyrical about Pedro, highlighting the latter's flair as a player and personality as two positive traits.
Weeks after signing Liam Delap as their new striker, the Blues confirmed the signing of Joao Pedro last summer from Brighton for a reported transfer fee of £55 million. He made an immediate impact during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, netting three goals as Chelsea secured the prestigious trophy.
Since then, Pedro has established himself as Chelsea's starting forward under both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior. He has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season, registering 18 goals and nine assists in 40 appearances across all competitions.
Davis, who played alongside Pedro at Watford during the 2022-23 campaign, was asked if he knew whether the latter had another gear to his game, to which he told talkSPORT (via METRO):
"Yeah, for sure. You saw his quality in training. Even playing with him, he’s Brazilian, so he’s just got that flair and belief in himself that he knows he’s a very good player. He’s a good guy as well. He’s not disrespectful or anything like that; he’s just a top person. So yeah, you could definitely see that you can move on to make big steps. To see him at Chelsea now is like… even if he went to Arsenal or something like that, I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s very good."
On the other hand, Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP last summer. While Gyokeres has struggled with his overall game at times, he has bagged 15 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions this season.
"They’ve cheated their way to winning the Premier League" - Chelsea icon calls out Arsenal for 'illegal' tactics this season
Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has slammed Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, branding them cheaters for 'solely' depending on corners to win games in the Premier League. He also reckons their style of play has affected the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Eberechi Eze, and Martin Odegaard, as they are unable to showcase their creativity and potential.
"When I watch Arsenal play they depend solely on corners. You have spent almost a billion, Mikel Arteta, and you’re telling me the only way you can win games is through corner kicks? It’s ridiculous. The only reason Arsenal fans are not complaining about the style of football is because they’re top of the league."
He added:
"The creativity they have, the potential they have — it’s all gone out of the window. We don’t see the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard anymore because they depend solely on corners. If they win playing like this, I wouldn’t recognise them as winners. For me it’s a cheat. They’ve cheated their way to winning the Premier League."
"It’s illegal the way they’re winning games and the Premier League should stamp it out because we don’t want to see it. You can’t play like this when you’ve spent a billion, there’s so much creativity in the squad – Eze, Odegaard, Saka – let them express themselves. They are so rigid and dependent on corner kicks."
Arsenal have utilized set pieces to great advantage and are currently at the summit of the Premier League table with 67 points from 30 games, seven points above second-placed Manchester City. Meanwhile, Chelsea are in fifth place with 48 points, with a game in hand.