Rio Ferdinand lauds Chelsea for completing ‘best value’ summer signing

Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on Chelsea for the signing of Joao Pedro, explaining why the transfer is the ‘best value’ move of the summer window.

Pedro joined Chelsea in July when they paid Brighton & Hove Albion an initial £55million for his signature. The transfer has the potential to rise to £60m through add-ons.

Chelsea swooped for Pedro after deciding they needed a new versatile attacker to replace Christopher Nkunku, who did not live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge.

Pedro is viewed as an ideal solution as he can shine as a centre-forward, No 10 or on the left wing.

While Nkunku has subsequently joined AC Milan, Pedro has got off to a fantastic start at Chelsea.

He has notched five goals and two assists in six appearances for the Blues so far, which includes strikes in the recent Premier League wins over West Ham United and Fulham.

Pedro’s signing looks even more important for Chelsea after Liam Delap picked up a hamstring injury, with the Brazilian set to play as a No 9 in the coming weeks.

On his YouTube channel, former Manchester United and England star Ferdinand lauded Chelsea for winning the race for Pedro.

“I think Pedro is going to be the best value, Joao Pedro at Chelsea, out of all the [summer] transfers,” the pundit said.

“I think he’s a great mix and a great addition to the Chelsea squad. He can play centre-forward. He can play as a 10. I see him as a little bit of an 8/10 in the team. I think he’s a really, really, really good addition.”

The likes of Liverpool and Newcastle United were interested in signing Pedro from Brighton, but it was Chelsea who won the transfer race.

The 23-year-old became the latest player to swap Brighton for Chelsea, following other stars such as Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez.

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Chelsea continue to sign Brighton’s best players

After Pedro’s arrival, BlueCo also announced the captures of Facundo Buonanotte and Julio Enciso from the Seagulls.

Buonanotte has joined Chelsea on a season-long loan, and Enzo Maresca’s side have the right to match any permanent bids for him next summer. Enciso, meanwhile, has joined Strasbourg but is viewed as a future Chelsea player.

Pedro was tipped for success at Chelsea even before he started scoring, with one observer claiming a future move to either Real Madrid or Barcelona could be on the cards.

Maresca will be hoping Pedro can help Chelsea enter the Premier League title conversation and also go far in the Champions League, building on their recent success in the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup.

Chelsea news: United battle; surprise target

Meanwhile, sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that both Chelsea and United are planning big January bids for an England star.

United are on the hunt for a new midfielder to succeed from Casemiro and could enter shock talks for a Chelsea player.

That is according to journalist Miguel Delaney, and you can find out all the details here.

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