{"id":11724,"date":"2026-05-22T06:33:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=11724"},"modified":"2026-05-22T06:33:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:33:28","slug":"joao-pedro-is-best-chelsea-striker-since-diego-costa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=11724","title":{"rendered":"Joao Pedro is best Chelsea striker since Diego Costa"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Chelsea have been told that they now have their best player since Diego Costa, with the striker finally being replaced.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Personally, I\u2019d be a bit cautious in making claims such as these after just one season. For a player to create a legacy like Costa and have that kind of effect, they need to do it across multiple seasons, but I can certainly understand why people might say that Joao Pedro could have the same effect as Costa had eventually, but not yet \u2013 far from it yet. We need to stop overhyping players too soon. Praise where it is due, sure. But overhyping can sometimes do more damage than good in my opinion.<\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE! Chelsea player speaks to former manager about move away \u2013 set to leave!<\/h3>\n

If you enjoy Chelsea News coverage and want to see more of it, add us as a <\/span>preferred source on Google <\/span>to make us a favourite and see more of our <\/span>content.<\/em><\/p>\n

I love Joe Cole and will often agree with what he has to say on anything around Chelsea. But I don\u2019t think he\u2019s correct here to say Chelsea have finally replaced Costa with Pedro.<\/p>\n

What Cole has said<\/h2>\n
\"Joe<\/source><\/picture>
Joe Cole doing punditry for TNT Sports. (Photo by Eddie Keogh\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In quotes picked up on X last night, Cole said about Pedro:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the best number 9 I have seen at Chelsea since Diego Costa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pedro has been class, and he\u2019s the closest thing we\u2019ve got to replacing Costa so far, but he\u2019s not there yet, that needs to be proven over time.<\/p>\n

In other news today..<\/h2>\n

Chelsea have seemingly given the keys to their operation to Xabi Alonso in order to persuade him to join \u2013 and we don\u2019t mind that at all. Alonso has been elevated to sporting director level!<\/p>\n

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill has been linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid this summer after returning to full fitness. It could be a long summer of rumours around Chelsea!<\/p>\n

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Check out the <\/span><\/em>latest edition of Simon Phillips\u2019 SPTC podcast here:<\/em><\/p>\n