Joao Pedro is Chelsea's top scorer this season and is three goals away from becoming the first out-and-out striker for the Blues to reach 20 goals since Diego Costa in the 2016-17 season. Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior says striker Joao Pedro belongs in the same "category" as world‑class forwards Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

The 24‑year‑old Brazil international scored a hat‑trick in Wednesday's 4-1 win at Aston Villa, taking his tally to 17 goals in all competitions this season. None of his 14 Premier League goals this season have come from the penalty spot and only Haaland, with 19, has scored more non‑penalty goals in England's top flight this season, while across Europe's top five leagues Kane leads the way on that basis with 20 for Bayern Munich, and Mbappe has 15 for Real Madrid.

Asked whether Joao Pedro is operating at such a level, Rosenior told reporters: "Joao is in that category now. In the two months I've been here, he has consistently shown he is a world‑class striker. I talk about my players; it's disrespectful to Erling to compare them. I don't know Erling very well, but from the outside he looks a magnificent, world‑class striker. I wouldn't swap Joao for anyone at this moment - he is showing all the qualities and attributes I want to see. The great thing for Joao is his age - he can still improve, and I've already noticed several areas where he can get better. But the level he's operating at now is world class, and it's my job, the club's job and his job to keep him there."

Chelsea, who face Wrexham in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, are looking for Joao Pedro to become their first out-and-out striker to reach 20 goals in a season since Diego Costa in 2016-17. They have had two players reach that tally in the intervening years, with deep-lying forward Cole Palmer scoring 25 in the 2023-24 season, five years after Eden Hazard hit 21 as a winger.

It is clear Joao Pedro is delivering a comparable impact to Europe's best in terms of non‑penalty goals this season. When penalties are included, Joao Pedro has eight fewer league goals than Haaland (22), nine fewer than Mbappe (23) and 16 fewer than Kane (30). Penalty duty to help him move nearer the likes of Kane and Mbappe is unlikely to come Joao Pedro's way any time soon. Palmer predominantly takes penalties for Chelsea and has missed just one of 19 since his debut for the club in September 2023.

In terms of league assists, Joao Pedro has five - more than Mbappe and level with Kane - while Haaland has seven. Joao Pedro has also taken far fewer shots than his rivals, registering just 57 attempts, which is significantly lower than the next‑lowest total, Kane's 96. It means his shot‑conversion rate of 24.6% is actually better than Haaland's and Mbappe's - 22.5% and 20.7% - but still falls short of Kane's 31.3%.

His first season at Chelsea is proving to be Joao Pedro's most clinical to date - but Haaland, Kane and Mbappe have far exceeded his output over multiple years. Since the start of the 2023-24 season - when he moved from Watford to Brighton - Joao Pedro has scored 33 league goals, including 24 non‑penalty goals, and provided 14 assists. In each category, the Brazilian trails his peers. Kane leads the way with 92 goals, 68 non‑penalty goals and 21 assists - more than Joao Pedro, Haaland or Mbappe in each metric. It shows that although Joao Pedro has taken a huge leap forward in his career, he will need to continue over a run of consecutive seasons to truly be ranked among the best.