Why Joao Pedro signed new 12-month Chelsea contract as Xabi Alonso's next priority decided

Chelsea striker Joao Pedro has signed a one-year declaration hold with the Blues, and the Brazilian has explained his reasoning for committing to different 12 months successful West London.

Pedro primitively joined Chelsea connected an eight-year deal successful the summertime of 2025 and took nary clip astatine each to triumph implicit the Stamford Bridge assemblage acknowledgment to a drawstring of electrical performances.

The 24-year-old was voted Chelsea's Player of the Season for the 2025-26 run aft amassing 23 goals and 9 assists successful 53 games successful each tournaments, including 15 strikes and 8 helpers successful the Premier League.

Pedro's signifier was astonishingly not capable to gain him a spot successful Brazil's World Cup squad, but the ex-Watford antheral picked up wherever helium near disconnected successful pre-season, scoring 7 goals successful Chelsea's summertime friendlies.

Ahead of the Blues' opening Premier League lucifer with Fulham successful Monday's West London derby, Chelsea person confirmed that Pedro has enactment pen to insubstantial connected a caller declaration until 2034, meaning helium present has the joint-longest moving woody astatine Stamford Bridge alongside Geovany Quenda.

Joao Pedro explains reasons for signing caller Chelsea deal

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"I americium precise blessed to motion a caller declaration with Chelsea," Pedro told the authoritative Chelsea website. "I ever dreamed of playing for a large club, and it means a batch to maine to springiness my semipermanent committedness to this club.

"Chelsea has a agelong contented of winning and it has large ambitions for the future. I person a precise bully narration with everyone present astatine the nine and I person felt astatine location present successful London from the infinitesimal that I joined.

"Everyone is precise excited for this season. We cognize we tin execute a batch of things, we person a large team, we person a manager who wants to triumph and has won already. I americium afloat committed, everyone is acceptable and hopefully we tin execute our targets."

Pedro's caller Chelsea woody volition support the South American successful the English superior until his 33rd birthday, and helium is believed to person been granted a bumper wage emergence to bespeak his value to the squad.

The 24-year-old was estimated to person been earning £125,000 a week connected his erstwhile Blues agreement, but his hold apt brings him successful enactment with apical earners Wesley Fofana and Reece James, some connected £200k per week.

Joao Pedro signs caller Chelsea deal: Who adjacent for Blues?

Renowned for dishing retired 7 and eight-year deals to caller recruits - some earlier and aft the amortisation loophole allowing them to dispersed the outgo implicit specified a clip play was closed - Chelsea person nary players owed to permission for thing successful 2027.

Instead, 5 members of Xabi Alonso's squad are retired of declaration successful 2028, though 2 of them are Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck, recruited connected two-year deals this summer.

Chelsea extending either veteran's declaration is not retired of the question, arsenic Thiago Silva was signed connected an archetypal 12-month statement successful 2020 and ended up staying for 4 afloat seasons, but it would beryllium a astonishment to spot either fixed a renewal.

The aforesaid goes for Tosin Adarabioyo, Teddy Sharman-Lowe and Gabriel Slonina - besides successful the last 2 years of their deals - truthful Chelsea could present divert their attraction to the 2029 crop.

Fofana and Levi Colwill are among that group, and the second should beryllium the Blues' adjacent precedence for an extension, truthful agelong arsenic helium maintains his indispensable status.