Chelsea star tipped for shock Arsenal transfer: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised’ | Football

Former Premier League forward Keinan Davis has heaped praise on Joao Pedro and says he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if the Chelsea star ended up at Arsenal.

Pedro has enjoyed an impressive first season at Stamford Bridge following his £60m summer move from Brighton, scoring 18 goals in all competitions.

The Brazil international was expected to vie with fellow summer signing Liam Delap for a place in the Chelsea team but quickly emerged as Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior’s first-choice striker.

While Pedro has looked bright ever since he moved to Chelsea, he has been particularly deadly since January, netting 11 goals in his last 13 games.

That run of form led ex-Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney to hail Pedro as the ‘most in-form forward in the Premier League’ ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League defeat to PSG on Wednesday.

Pedro’s former Watford teammate Davis has also been impressed by the 24-year-old and says it was always clear he would develop into a top player.

Davis, who also played for Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest and is currently in Italy with Udinese, even suggested Pedro could end up at Chelsea’s rivals Arsenal.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for a new striker ahead of the summer as Viktor Gyokeres, despite scoring 15 goals, has underwhelmed with his all-round play.

Asked whether he knew Pedro had another gear while playing for Championship side Watford, Davis told talkSPORT: ‘Yeah, for sure. You saw his quality in training.

‘Even playing with him, he’s Brazilian, so he’s just got that flair and belief in himself that he knows he’s a very good player.

‘He’s a good guy as well. He’s not disrespectful or anything like that; he’s just a top person. So yeah, you could definitely see that you can move on to make big steps.

‘To see him at Chelsea now is like… even if he went to Arsenal or something like that, I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s very good.’

Pedro scored his first Chelsea hat-trick in last week’s crucial Premier League win over top-four rivals Aston Villa.

The Brazilian scored again as Liam Rosenior’s side avoided a scare to beat Wrexham and book their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Pedro failed to find the back of the net in Chelsea’s deflating 5-2 Champions League last-16 first-leg defeat to PSG and was replaced by Delap late on.

The heavy defeat in Paris leaves Chelsea with a mountain to climb in the return leg at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

Before that Chelsea will look to boost their top-four chances against fellow Champions League hopefuls Newcastle United on Saturday.

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