spiderm4tt wrote:9.5m midfielder. Interesting to see how he does. Potentially he could be the Chelsea cheaper attacking alternative to the expensive Hazard as Caz/Ozil/Ramsey at times were last season (and could also be this season too) to the expensive Sanchez.
Top quality differential springs to mind.
I agree with this from spiderm4tt.
Whether we think he is or isn't a top talent or debate the legitimacy of his achievements at a dominant Barca, I'm more interested to see if he can produce the goods as a regular starter in what is another solid team all round.
I currently don't have Hazard, nor any CHE player, and I'm not overly comfortable about it right now, so if Pedro can prove to be an able alternative to Hazard (whom I'm not sure how to possibly fit in my team), then I will be all over Pedro like a chubby kid on fresh pie.
I'm yet to form a solid opinion on whether he'll be a success or not, main reason being it's even harder to guess how players will do when they've been a comfortable part of the one team for so long throughout their career, however there's enough quality around him in Hazard, Fab, Matic and Costa etc to help him be a success if he can hit the ground running and strike up an early understanding. As we know Fab and Hazard create plenty chances on their own, so someone of Pedro's quality will have ample opportunities to score, and likewise ample opportunities to feed Hazard and Costa in return.
He may not set the league alight, but you can't argue with quality and experience, and despite some saying they don't rate him, the facts are he has been a fairly consistent and valued player of what was a dominant team for a long period of time, regardless of his role or lack of starts. Remembering that this is no ordinary team either, but one filled with extra-extraordinary players that generations to come may not witness the likes of again. You can hardly judge the guy solely based on the fact he couldn't nail down a starting role in 'that' team.
I can only judge him based on the many games I have seen him play, and what I do know is he'll bring a tireless work rate both in attack and in defence, and he has the quality to finish and find a pass when the opportunity arises. May seem fairly straight forward, but sometimes it's better to keep it simple and not over analyse.
Many quality players make it to the EPL, and for me the question is never 'do they have the skill and quality to make it?'. Rather I think it's more about 'do they have the physical strength and endurance to handle the EPL?'
They don't reach the highest level without the skill and quality, so that should be a given.
Anyway, Pedro, I'll be watching you closely my friend.