Joao Pedro Reveals Xabi Alonso's Role in Chelsea's Flying Start

Chelsea forward Joao Pedro says Xabi Alonso's trust in him is a big reason for his flying start to the season, and he has also explained how he cleared the air with Cole Palmer when he first arrived.

The 25-year-old Brazilian has scored five goals and set up three more in just six Premier League games. Alonso's 3-4-2-1 system has made him the main man up front in a Chelsea side that looks tighter and more settled than in recent seasons.

Speaking to ESPN, Pedro said: "At Chelsea I feel very comfortable. It's a different season, with a coach who gives me a lot of confidence, and I think that's a big part of my performance so far this season."

When he joined from Brighton in 2025, there were worries that he and Palmer might end up fighting for the same spot. Pedro says he moved quickly to deal with that by speaking to the England man himself.

"I told him I was coming to help, that I didn't want to take his spot -- nothing like that," Pedro explained. "And that's where a friendship was born that we carry on both on and off the field. And I think what helps me a lot -- and now Morgan [Rogers] too -- is that we have a really great friendship on and off the field; we're always joking around."

He believes having Palmer and Rogers around him is already paying off. "I have Cole and Morgan there to help me, to feed me the passes -- you can see that the start of the season has been really good. So I think it's going to be a really good season for us."

Pedro also said the dressing room made settling in easy, partly because Chelsea had been without a proper number nine for a while. He was left out of Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil squad for the 2026 World Cup, but he has stayed focused on his club form.

"I think my adjustment went well because it had been a while since there was a No. 9 here," he said. "I think the players were really friendly toward me when I arrived; they welcomed me with open arms, wanted to help me, and were willing to do so -- so I think that's why I adapted so well."

The road to the Premier League was not smooth for Pedro. He points to Watford's relegation to the Championship in 2022 as the key moment of his career. Plenty of young Brazilians would have looked for a quick way out to stay in a top league, but he stayed and fought, and he thinks that built the mental strength he needs now at a big club like Chelsea.

"I think that for my success here, the decisive moment was when Watford was relegated to the second division and I stayed anyway. I worked hard and proved that I could overcome that challenge," he recalled. 

"Because a lot of the time, we Brazilian players come to Europe thinking everything will be a bed of roses, but sometimes that's not how it goes... and we end up giving up, but I think that was the moment when I said to myself: 'No, I came here, and I'm going to succeed here.'"