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Joao Pedro was a player in demand in the summer transfer window.
He was linked heavily with Newcastle United, as he had been in summer 2022, but was in fact one of the marquee signings made by big-spending Chelsea, who successfully brought the striker in from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Joao Pedro on his whirlwind transfer to Chelsea
"I was already planning to change clubs for this season," Pedro tells FourFourTwo. "There were talks going on between my agents and a few clubs, and Chelsea were one of them, so I was expecting something to happen.
"But it caught me by surprise that everything happened right in the middle of the Club World Cup.
"I always take great care of my physical shape, I’m very disciplined about it, and I’d been working on that aspect even during the summer break. Good thing, right?
"Knowing I’d arrive and be able to play right away motivated me even more. I like those challenges.
"It’s no coincidence that I accepted leaving behind everything in Ribeirao Preto, my home town in Sao Paulo state, to go to Fluminense’s youth academy in Rio de Janeiro, and then I went to Watford at a very young age.
"I also work a lot on the psychological aspect, to be mentally prepared for challenges. How couldn’t I feel motivated to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, like Chelsea?"
The Blues were relatively unfancied as Club World Cup contenders but demonstrated their capabilities with a thumping final win against Paris Saint-Germain. Joao Pedro scored the last goal of the competition.
So, within days of joining his new club, Joao Pedro was a winner of Gianni Infantino's Club World Cup.
"It all happened very quickly. I don’t remember exactly, but it was a matter of a week or even less between learning about their interest and flying to the US!
"As soon as my agents sorted everything out, I travelled right away. It was hectic."
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