Potential Pedro Signing is a Head Scratcher

By Tyler Strauss

One of the many things that Mourinho is known for is his dominance of the transfer market. Just last year, Mourinho had most of his transfer business wrapped up by the time most other teams began to enter the market. The signing of Cesc Fabregas was a masterclass, followed by Diego Costa and Filipe Luis. He even tacked on Loic Remy at the end of the summer, fulfilling all of Chelsea's needs last summer.

That brings us to this year, where Chelsea have been relatively quiet, especially given the movement of the other clubs. Manchester United has signed some top talent, showing no signs of slowing down. Manchester City seems to be securing Raheem Sterling, with a few more players linked with them as well. Even Arsenal has poached Chelsea's keeper, with eyes on a few other targets. So what about the Blues?

Well they've signed Falcao, which to be fair, could turn out to be a brilliant move by Mourinho. Given his previous CV, there's no reason to believe that Mourinho can't get the best out of the Colombian talisman. However, he's not the marquee signing that Chelsea need. Which brings us to Asmir Begovic.

The Bosnian shot stopper is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. Therefore, his signing means so much for the Blues. He will be able to challenge Courtois, while being probably the best backup goalkeeper in the Premier League. Courtois will benefit from the challenge, as it will push him to work hard in training. It's a good situation and once again, Mourinho should be praised for his decisions.

However, we are yet to see Chelsea make that marquee signing that we expect from them. They will need to retool like every other team, especially if they want to compete in Europe as well as domestically. Which is why their linkage to Barcelona’s Pedro is a confusing one to me.

I want to say upfront that I respect Pedro as a player, and find him to be world class. I also feel that he is a quality player. I just don’t see how he fits into Chelsea’s first team.

To me, he wouldn’t start in the number 10 role, which only leaves him with the right wing, as Eden Hazard is going no where. Willian seems to have made the right wing his own with his commitment to his defensive duties, while his high-pressing style is one that flourishes under Mourinho. Pedro might offer more creativity than Willian on the right, but I can’t see that being enough to win over the position.

So that being said, it seems to me that Pedro would be a squad player at Chelsea. Which makes no sense. Pedro is leaving Barcelona because he is looking to play regularly. This was not the case at Camp Nou with Suarez, Messi, and Neymar dominating the attacking three for the Catalans. So why would he travel all the way to West London to play the same role that he does at Barcelona?

Furthermore, signing Pedro is a sign of giving up on Cuadrado, a notion that Mourinho doesn’t seem to believe himself. Cuadrado right now is first off the bench in that role, even above Ramires. I think that he offers more creativity than the Brazilian, even if it hasn’t shown yet.

Therefore, signing Pedro would make Cuadrado fall further down the pecking order, and I’m not sure that makes sense. If Chelsea want to truly give Cuadrado a chance, then do so. But don’t push him further down the pecking order, give him the odd game now and again, and then complain that he’s ineffective. No player would flourish under those circumstances, and Cuadrado certainly won’t.

Therefore, should Mourinho sign Pedro, it would be a head-scratcher for me. It would certainly end Cuadrado’s Stamford Bridge career prematurely. It would also not offer Pedro what he was looking for in improved playing time. Maybe he comes into the side ahead of Willian, but I doubt that. Oscar seems set in his spot, recently committing his future to West London in signing a new contract with the Blues. With those two roles basically filled, Pedro certainly isn’t the player to come in and force either out of their spot. That’s why I think Chelsea should pass on Pedro and look for a more dynamic marquee signing. These could include Reus, Pogba, or Griezmann, just to name a few. These are the type of players that would force their way into the Starting XI, not Pedro.

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