JP 1 goal in 5 ( not exactly a prolific striker we need)
More suited to link up play, he is not an out and out striker is he, false 9...
JP, how many games has he missed?
DeLap is the project striker, we need a real striker but we all know this
HOLD THE DOOR: It's a way to go until the transfer market shuts I have refilled popcorn and await the door shutting to assess how the SDs have actually performed for their round 7. Still lots of players to offload.
The round up should be every player Si has said we are linked with verses what we have brought in Verses what we can all see we still need to challenge for the League
I'm definitely critical of him and his non penalty goals as its very low for a striker worth that much but he does have some good qualities and i really hope to be proven wrong and it works well for us.
I know I'll get shot down by the usual suspects for not being blindly optimistic about every moneyball signing, but Pedro is not good enough for Chelsea now, and I don't think he ever will be. Doesn't score enough, doesn't create enough, and hasn't got the greatest disciplinary record.
Great write up Luke.. I was initially apprehensive of Pedro especially when the rumours of us targeting Rogers, Xavi simons and yildiz came out for that Left striker/10 position. Pedro has since grown on me and I can see why he looks a very good fit for the system Maresca wants to play. I guess the biggest plus compared to other targets is he is PL proven!!
1) temperament - is there a discipline issue with him?
2) he's been tagged as a "Swiss army knife" - weren't felix and Nkunku also labelled something similar? I'm just trying to understand how he would be effective in Maresca’s system when neither of the aforementioned were
3) we could buy an incredible centre back for £60m!
Thanks for the write up Luke. Well done! I’m a big fan of João Pedro and am really excited by the signing. Questions about tactics, Do you think JP is more of a super sub or Is he an inside left option where Gittens is traditional touch line winger depending on the shape for that specific match? Curious your thought as in no tactico.
Regardless I don’t really think it matters with JP skillset and ability to link play and create. I really like that he adds a physical element too that I think the team was missing last season.
Luke, thank you for the detail analysis and like you say those knocking his non penalty goal scoring I think miss his rounded strengths. His negative points (few as you detail) are seriously outweighed by his positives and he is a well rounded player.
He has improved each time he has stepped up a level and I expect that he will again with CFC. He is still young and I think the key benefit will be when he is wide left he will get to the back post which our current wingers don't do enough. I think he will bring 10+ goals and as many assists to us next season with the greater level of the ball he will get at CFC.
Actually look forward to seeing how he fits in Maresco's plans. Whilst I agree there are better strikers we could have looked at, after reading your stats am actually more encouraged. Really rate your observations as a chief scout
Paying £60m for someone with 5 non penalty goals - and who Brighton were happy to sell - doesn't seem like the tiniest red flag to you? I actually think Pedro is the best of our signings this summer, but that says more about the others to be honest. He's just not worth close to what we have paid, similar to Neto last summer, and I don't see how he fits into the team.
What about his discipline?
I find it amazing how people simply look to justify any signings we make, rather than objectively asking could we have done better. Last summer there were pieces about how Dewsbury-Hall would fit in, or how Felix was going to add the same sort of things Pedro allegedly will.
Mitch, what indiscipline? 4 bookings last year in 35 games 4 the previous season in 40 games (and 2 in Europe). Good when compared to some of our players and he also puts it about.
How about the elbow he wrongly got away with (the nastiest thing I saw all season, deliberately clattering into the keeper with his should (another one he wrongly got away with) or being suspended by his club for a fight?
With proper refereeing he serves at least 7 games suspended last season.
Mitch, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. Bottom line everything you say indicates that you don’t like him as an option which is fair enough it’s your call. Others including me think he is a good player. I actually think we need one or two players with a bit of nastiness and having him and Delap will do us no harm. I don’t remember us worrying about Costa’s disciplinary problems! I actually don’t think he has a disciplinary problems. I just think you’re highlighting one or two items. Let’s be honest Jackson has been no angel, Cacadio is great but he needs to learn not to get booked as often as he does. At the end of the day it’s all about opinions, we don’t all like the same players and if you’re right, I’ll put my hand up and accept you told me so. Hopefully you’ll do the same reverse which we will all like from a players perspective.
Also, the penalty argument is pathetic, for any player across the world, its only used as a stick to beat a player and a poor argument that is massively incorrect.
I'd argue the opposite - it's bad faith to use it as a way to inflate a player's production. Yes, taking penalties is a skill, but it's still the biggest chance any player will get to increase their numbers.
Give me someone with 15 non penalty goals over someone with 10 non penalty goals and 5 penalties anyday.
There are loads of players who can take penalties. There are far fewer who can score them in open play (because it's much harder!).
That's where it comes down to opinion. There is such thing as bad penalty takers, there's not such a thing as a bad goalscorer.
Goals are goals at the end of the day, okay he won't take penalties here, but what he will do is play with better players which generally create better chances for him or allow him to create chances for better players, resulting naturally in more goal involvements.
Remember he's not a 9 out and out, he is a hybrid for multiple positions.
If he can score 8, Palmer can score 15, Neto can score 8, Gittens can score 8, Delap can score 12, Jackson (or other striker), can score 10, and other attackers, midfielders or even James/Cucu chipping in, it widens our goalcscoring chances and numbers.
This is what Maresca wants, he's not asking to add players with 15/20 goals a season because not many of those exist. But by adding a few who can get close to 10 whilst also providing assists that adds numbers to our attack.
Nobody is justifying anything Mitch, my role here at SPTC and as a scout in general is to inform people on our new signings and give them a better understanding of the profile of the player who has been signed.
Pedro would be far from my first choice attacking signing but after spending hours researching him and compiling this report I am optimistic he will succeed.
You keep banging on about Cherki, that situation is gone whats the point in revisiting it, we turned him down numerous times due to his attitude off the pitch and not wanting to upset a harmonious dressing room, that's just how the club is being run these days. Pedro has discipline issues on the pitch but if you look at the yellows/red cards he picks up they are generally through being late in a challenge because of how intensely he presses and tries to win the ball back.
Listening to players like Troy Deeney and Ben Foster who have played with him they have given nothing but rave reports about him as a player, character and teammate. Everybody who speaks about him say s that he is extremely hard working and dedicated.
Great detailed analysis along with the clips, Luke !!! Well done, and thank you for this !!!
Hi Luke
JP 1 goal in 5 ( not exactly a prolific striker we need)
More suited to link up play, he is not an out and out striker is he, false 9...
JP, how many games has he missed?
DeLap is the project striker, we need a real striker but we all know this
HOLD THE DOOR: It's a way to go until the transfer market shuts I have refilled popcorn and await the door shutting to assess how the SDs have actually performed for their round 7. Still lots of players to offload.
The round up should be every player Si has said we are linked with verses what we have brought in Verses what we can all see we still need to challenge for the League
#Up The PES LDN Blues
I'm definitely critical of him and his non penalty goals as its very low for a striker worth that much but he does have some good qualities and i really hope to be proven wrong and it works well for us.
I know I'll get shot down by the usual suspects for not being blindly optimistic about every moneyball signing, but Pedro is not good enough for Chelsea now, and I don't think he ever will be. Doesn't score enough, doesn't create enough, and hasn't got the greatest disciplinary record.
Absolute waste of 60m.
Great write up Luke!
I really like him.
He always gave us massive problems when we played Brighton.
I think he'll do well for us, he adds physicality & is Prem experienced.
He upgrades us straight away.
Excellent scout report about João Pedro, Luke.
Very detailed report Luke, thanks. I agreed JP will do well at Chelsea chances given.
Great write up Luke.. I was initially apprehensive of Pedro especially when the rumours of us targeting Rogers, Xavi simons and yildiz came out for that Left striker/10 position. Pedro has since grown on me and I can see why he looks a very good fit for the system Maresca wants to play. I guess the biggest plus compared to other targets is he is PL proven!!
I guess a few observations:
1) temperament - is there a discipline issue with him?
2) he's been tagged as a "Swiss army knife" - weren't felix and Nkunku also labelled something similar? I'm just trying to understand how he would be effective in Maresca’s system when neither of the aforementioned were
3) we could buy an incredible centre back for £60m!
He’s a different profile and has a different skill set to both of the aforementioned players
Could someone please find the Dean’s daughter…Mitch having another tough day.
Thanks for the write up Luke. Well done! I’m a big fan of João Pedro and am really excited by the signing. Questions about tactics, Do you think JP is more of a super sub or Is he an inside left option where Gittens is traditional touch line winger depending on the shape for that specific match? Curious your thought as in no tactico.
Regardless I don’t really think it matters with JP skillset and ability to link play and create. I really like that he adds a physical element too that I think the team was missing last season.
I think will ultimately depend on opponent mate!
Luke, thank you for the detail analysis and like you say those knocking his non penalty goal scoring I think miss his rounded strengths. His negative points (few as you detail) are seriously outweighed by his positives and he is a well rounded player.
He has improved each time he has stepped up a level and I expect that he will again with CFC. He is still young and I think the key benefit will be when he is wide left he will get to the back post which our current wingers don't do enough. I think he will bring 10+ goals and as many assists to us next season with the greater level of the ball he will get at CFC.
Actually look forward to seeing how he fits in Maresco's plans. Whilst I agree there are better strikers we could have looked at, after reading your stats am actually more encouraged. Really rate your observations as a chief scout
Paying £60m for someone with 5 non penalty goals - and who Brighton were happy to sell - doesn't seem like the tiniest red flag to you? I actually think Pedro is the best of our signings this summer, but that says more about the others to be honest. He's just not worth close to what we have paid, similar to Neto last summer, and I don't see how he fits into the team.
What about his discipline?
I find it amazing how people simply look to justify any signings we make, rather than objectively asking could we have done better. Last summer there were pieces about how Dewsbury-Hall would fit in, or how Felix was going to add the same sort of things Pedro allegedly will.
Why didn't we go for Cherki for £30m instead?
Mitch, what indiscipline? 4 bookings last year in 35 games 4 the previous season in 40 games (and 2 in Europe). Good when compared to some of our players and he also puts it about.
How about the elbow he wrongly got away with (the nastiest thing I saw all season, deliberately clattering into the keeper with his should (another one he wrongly got away with) or being suspended by his club for a fight?
With proper refereeing he serves at least 7 games suspended last season.
Mitch, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. Bottom line everything you say indicates that you don’t like him as an option which is fair enough it’s your call. Others including me think he is a good player. I actually think we need one or two players with a bit of nastiness and having him and Delap will do us no harm. I don’t remember us worrying about Costa’s disciplinary problems! I actually don’t think he has a disciplinary problems. I just think you’re highlighting one or two items. Let’s be honest Jackson has been no angel, Cacadio is great but he needs to learn not to get booked as often as he does. At the end of the day it’s all about opinions, we don’t all like the same players and if you’re right, I’ll put my hand up and accept you told me so. Hopefully you’ll do the same reverse which we will all like from a players perspective.
You'll be right Craige!👍
Picking one incident with no context isn’t an argument it’s an agenda
It’s not one incident though, is it? It happened multiple times. 3 times last season alone!
https://www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11661/13281677/ref-watch-brighton-forward-joao-pedro-astonishingly-escapes-red-card-for-elbow-against-brentford
https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/25115093.brightons-joao-pedro-told-red-card-vs-brentford-unacceptable/
https://www.skysports.com/football/video/35527/13290449/should-brightons-joao-pedro-have-seen-red-for-this-challenge-on-ipswich-goalkeeper-christian-walton
So I actually was incorrect. He should have had *3* straight red cards for violent conduct last season.
Also, the penalty argument is pathetic, for any player across the world, its only used as a stick to beat a player and a poor argument that is massively incorrect.
I'd argue the opposite - it's bad faith to use it as a way to inflate a player's production. Yes, taking penalties is a skill, but it's still the biggest chance any player will get to increase their numbers.
Give me someone with 15 non penalty goals over someone with 10 non penalty goals and 5 penalties anyday.
There are loads of players who can take penalties. There are far fewer who can score them in open play (because it's much harder!).
Should we therefore ignore Cole's 14 penalties for us over 2 seasons which would change his stats significantly
Yes, absolutely. I always look at non penalty goals 👍
That's where it comes down to opinion. There is such thing as bad penalty takers, there's not such a thing as a bad goalscorer.
Goals are goals at the end of the day, okay he won't take penalties here, but what he will do is play with better players which generally create better chances for him or allow him to create chances for better players, resulting naturally in more goal involvements.
Remember he's not a 9 out and out, he is a hybrid for multiple positions.
If he can score 8, Palmer can score 15, Neto can score 8, Gittens can score 8, Delap can score 12, Jackson (or other striker), can score 10, and other attackers, midfielders or even James/Cucu chipping in, it widens our goalcscoring chances and numbers.
This is what Maresca wants, he's not asking to add players with 15/20 goals a season because not many of those exist. But by adding a few who can get close to 10 whilst also providing assists that adds numbers to our attack.
Neto is a 1 in 10 career player in the PL over 4/5 seasons. He'll get 5 if we're lucky.
Gittens I think will max out at 5. Young, inexperienced, German league tax.
I don't see a world where Delap gets 12, unless we're talking yellow cards.
Basically I think we're adding players who don't score, and selling those who do (Madueke, likely Jackson).
Again, only time will tell. Based on the stats it is monumentally risky.
Nobody is justifying anything Mitch, my role here at SPTC and as a scout in general is to inform people on our new signings and give them a better understanding of the profile of the player who has been signed.
Pedro would be far from my first choice attacking signing but after spending hours researching him and compiling this report I am optimistic he will succeed.
You keep banging on about Cherki, that situation is gone whats the point in revisiting it, we turned him down numerous times due to his attitude off the pitch and not wanting to upset a harmonious dressing room, that's just how the club is being run these days. Pedro has discipline issues on the pitch but if you look at the yellows/red cards he picks up they are generally through being late in a challenge because of how intensely he presses and tries to win the ball back.
Listening to players like Troy Deeney and Ben Foster who have played with him they have given nothing but rave reports about him as a player, character and teammate. Everybody who speaks about him say s that he is extremely hard working and dedicated.