rewrite this title “Exceptional” – What Joao Pedro has “already” started doing in Chelsea training

Enzo Maresca handed new Chelsea signing Joao Pedro made his debut today as the west Londoners booked their place in the Club World Cup semi-finals.

The Brazil international, who brought an end to his £50,000-per-week contract at Brighton, cost Chelsea an initial £55 million to sign, plus a potential £5 million in add-ons.

Making his first appearance for Chelsea, Pedro replaced fellow summer arrival Liam Delap just past the 50-minute mark against Palmeiras to help his new team into the next round of the CWC.

Maresca’s side beat Palmeiras 2-1 in their quarter-final tie at Lincoln Financial Field in the early hours of this morning, local time, with Chelsea now earning a total of around £55 million from their participation in the tournament so far – which has effectively paid for Pedro.

If Chelsea go on to win the whole thing, they could end up banking around £90 million (The Mirror), and Pedro is poised to play a key role after being registered on time to be named in their updated CWC squad.

What Joao Pedro is “already” doing in Chelsea training

Speaking on talkSPORT earlier this week, pundit Troy Deeney shared that the 23-year-old has been making quite an impression in training – with Pedro looking to establish himself as a key first-teamer.

Deeney has also tipped the former Watford frontman for stardom, despite his young age, explaining exactly why Pedro is one to watch at Stamford Bridge.

“Joao brings an intensity – he is obviously an exceptional football player,” Deeney said.

“The social media clips Chelsea have put out in training show him throwing his weight around already.

“He’s all or nothing. I think the misconception of him is that he’s a troublemaker. He’s absolutely not that at all. He’s passionate, energetic and he wants to win. He wants to play every minute of every game.

“But I think at Chelsea now you’re going to see the real Joao Pedro, one that enjoys competition and one that believes he should be starting for Brazil.”

Deeney even goes on to tip Pedro for a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid, if he can impress in the next two years.

“I’ve seen this player since he was 18 years old and the mentality has not changed one bit.

“It’s always been, ‘I want to be the best and I want to be the new R9’. Whether he can be that is for everyone to decide. In the short term, it’s all about how he gets there. He’s only 23 years of age.

“I think the business Chelsea have done this summer has been exceptional so far. When you look at the Brazilian national team, it’s not as strong as the teams we’ve seen over the years. I think he’ll look at it and say I can do that [become first-choice striker].

“I’m sure the eight-year contract is more for Chelsea spreading it out over PSR, but if he does well for two years there, Real Madrid and Barcelona will come knocking and Chelsea are a model for buying young, and potentially selling on for a lot more than they paid.”