Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images for Premier League
Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images for Premier League
Joao Pedro has maintained his excellent start to life as a Chelsea player this season, but club legend Eden Hazard believes he played with an even better striker at Stamford Bridge.
The Brazilian was the standout player of his first campaign at the club, and picked up the Premier League Player of the Month award for August to start this season.
Pedro has formed a very strong relationship with Cole Palmer in attack, which has only been added to by the signing of Morgan Rogers during the summer.
Ian MacNicol Archive
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Eden Hazard still thinks Didier Drogba is better than Joao Pedro
He is leading that star-studded trio fantastically, but Hazard still has a hard time naming him the best striker in the club’s recent history.
The Belgian told TalkSPORT that you cannot put Pedro on the same level as Didier Drogba, who he spent a brief time playing alongside when he made his return to the club.
The Champions League-winning striker was clearly past his best when he made his homecoming, but has a legacy at this club which takes some matching from anyone who follows him.
Looks a promising lineup, but once again shows our frailties in defence. We can play 3, 4, 5 or even 6 and a sweeper keeper at the back. Unfortunately when the average height of the squad is 6ft, how can really defend set pieces
Pedro putting an end to the number nine curse
Pressure to replicate Drogba’s brilliance has seen the number nine shirt at Stamford Bridge seen as a curse. The likes of Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata and Liam Delap have so far failed to live up to the hype.
The same cannot be said for Pedro since he changed shirt numbers in the summer, and he is continuing to show some of the same skills which made Drogba a fan favourite in West London.
He frequently is used as the target man up top, tasked with getting the Blues up the pitch and bringing in the talented players alongside him.
Any doubts about him being able to be a regular goalscorer at a big club have been put to bed too. His 15 goals in the Premier League last season would equate to Drogba’s third-best season in the competition.
The importance of Pedro may be noticed the most if he is not available for the Blues this evening to face Brentford. The Brazilian has pulled out of international duty for an expected knee injury.