Chelsea have welcomed Danny Welbeck to Stamford Bridge this summer, with Jordan Henderson soon to follow, in a sharp change of pace from the youth-heavy transfer strategy that has dictated the first several years of the BlueCo era.
Xabi Alonso, still warming into his seat as the Blues’ new manager, is also driving a deal to sign Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavarria, who, aged 28, will provide experience and balance down the channel following Marc Cucurella’s transfer to Real Madrid.
There have also been younger additions to the team. Morgan Rogers has signed for the west Londoners in a £117m deal, swiped from under Arsenal’s noses.
Rogers will partner his good friend Cole Palmer in Alonso’s system, but the impact he could have on Joao Pedro has gone under the radar. The Brazilian forward is picking up where he left off in pre-season, electric for an under-par Chelsea in a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur down under.
How Joao Pedro played vs Tottenham
Chelsea have been defeated 2-1 by Tottenham the Accor Stadium in Sydney. It wasn’t a great game, but that’s pre-season for you. However, Pedro was the star of the show for Alonso’s new-look side.
He darted about, dropping deep and influencing while delivering with precision for Estevao Willian’s equaliser. The Brazilian, excluded by Carlo Ancelotti for his nation’s World Cup campaign this summer, has a point to prove, and Alonso must be quickly warming to him.
After all, the 24-year-old was Chelsea’s top scorer in all competitions last year, bagging 20 goals. There was a lack of goalscoring support for him last year, especially from fellow forwards, and pre-season is already showing us that Alonso needs a striker, even after landing Rogers from Aston Villa.
Chelsea Top Scorers (2025/26) | ||
|---|---|---|
Player | Apps | Goals |
Joao Pedro | 50 | 20 |
Enzo Fernandez | 54 | 15 |
Cole Palmer | 34 | 11 |
Pedro Neto | 52 | 10 |
Estevao | 36 | 8 |
Alejandro Garnacho | 43 | 8 |
It’s no secret that Alonso is open to cashing in on both Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap this summer, but Pedro will be going nowhere, with his new deal an illustration of the faith in his talismanic ability.
Chelsea could tempt “Suarez regen” to join
Chelsea have undoubtedly signed one of the Premier League’s biggest attacking stars in Rogers, but for all his direct running and skill as a shooter, he is not an out-and-out centre-forward, and that’s what Alonso needs to ease the burden on Pedro’s shoulders.
Well, according to Het Laaste Niuews, BlueCo believe they could tempt Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi to move to the Premier League this summer, despite the Belgian outfit’s declaration that he’s going nowhere.
Roma have already submitted a €35m (£30m) offer for the German, though it looks like more will be needed to tempt his club to part ways.
A month is a long time in the transfer window, and should Chelsea apply pressure – with Manchester United also interested – the Tresoldi saga could gather pace, albeit with Brugge unlikely to change their stance having already sold Christos Tzolis to Arsenal this summer.
Hailed as a “Luis Suarez regen” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Tresoldi has all the attributes to succeed in the Premier League, ruthless in front of goal and not afraid to get stuck in and contribute during the build-up.
In the Belgian Pro League last term, he scored 19 goals across 40 fixtures, starting 29 of those games. He created eight big chances and completed 58% of his dribbles, but in all honesty, statistics don’t convey the flair and spring in his step that suggests he is tailor-made for Premier League football.
The Germany U21 international may well rise on Man United’s shortlist over the coming weeks, so Chelsea need to make a swift decision. He’s young, but he’s already physical enough, and though a deal might jeopardise the 36-year-old Welbeck’s hopes of playing a big role at the club this year, Tresoldi is a gifted and dynamic attacker, worth pursuing.
An aggressive presser and hard worker, he has all he needs to dovetail right into an Alonso team. BlueCo now need to make it happen.
Chelsea have signed a superstar in Rogers, and Pedro is on his way to earning a reputation as one of the best strikers in Europe too. Tresoldi would sign at the perfect time, finding space to develop and room to make an emphatic impact for Alonso’s new team.
