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Joao Pedro’s about to rock up for Chelsea in that Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras—yeah, already, after sealing his switch from Brighton. The dude’s barely unpacked his bags, but he’s good to go.
So, he’s signed on for eight years (which is, like, forever in football terms) and Chelsea shelled out £60 million for him. Not exactly pocket change. He hopped over from Brazil to the US, did the medical thing, and now he’s cleared to play in Philly at 2am BST on Saturday. Hope he’s not jet-lagged.
Looking at the numbers, Joao bagged 30 goals in 70 games for Brighton after they got him from Watford in 2023. That cost them just under £30 million, which, at the time, was Brighton's record signing. So yeah, Brighton’s cashing in big time on this one.
Joao’s already doing the whole "big club, big dreams" interview thing: “Everyone knows this is a big club with a great history. They had brilliant players in the past and have brilliant players now, so I am excited to join and you know when you are a Chelsea player you must think one thing – win.” Classic new-signing energy. You’ve gotta love the optimism.
Meanwhile, Chelsea aren’t done flashing the cash. They had a £55m offer accepted for Jamie Gittens from Dortmund. But, plot twist, the kid can’t play in the Club World Cup since he already turned out for Dortmund in the same comp. Bit of a technicality, but those are the rules.
Oh, and just to keep track: Liam Delap, Mamadou Sarr, and Dario Essugo all joined Chelsea before this tournament, and they made the deadline for the group stage. So, yeah, the squad’s filling up fast.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler seems pretty chill about losing Joao, actually. “This is a good move for all parties. It’s an excellent deal for the club, and a good return on a significant investment in an area of the pitch where we have a lot of competition and are already well served in terms of our attacking talent.” Translation: We’ve got enough strikers, and hey, £60 million is sweet.
He also gave Joao a little shoutout: “It’s also an exciting move for Joao – it gives him the opportunity to play Champions League football this coming season, and he will of course be keen to cement his position in the Brazil team before the World Cup next summer.” No pressure, right?