Joao Pedro praises Chelsea transfer as Xabi Alonso signs 'top player'

Chelsea striker Joao Pedro during pre-season training (Picture: Getty)

Joao Pedro has hailed new Chelsea signing Danny Welbeck and revealed how he will help the Blues on and off the pitch.

Chelsea completed a surprise move for ex-England striker Welbeck at the start of the month after agreeing a deal with Brighton.

Welbeck, who started his career at Manchester United and also had a spell at Arsenal, has signed a two-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Neither club confirmed the transfer fee but Chelsea are believed to have paid Brighton around £7m for the 35-year-old forward, who scored 13 goals in the Premier League last season.

Welbeck was at Watford when Pedro arrived in England in 2020 and continued to help the Brazilian while the pair were both at Brighton.

Pedro regards Welbeck as a ‘very important person’ in his life and says the experienced striker will be a ‘very good person’ to have in the Chelsea dressing room.

‘Personally, Danny is a very important person for me in life,’ Pedro told Chelsea’s official website from the club’s pre-season training camp.

Chelsea summer signing Danny Welbeck (Picture: Getty)

‘When I came to England, I didn’t speak English, but he always tried to be around me to support me and help me develop.

‘This will now be the third time that we have played together and I think, as he did with me in the past, he will give support to everyone in the squad.

‘Danny is this guy; he is very helpful and wants the best for everyone around him and for the team.

Welbeck played with Joao Pedro at Brighton (Picture: Getty)

‘Everyone knows that he is a top player. I’m looking forward to playing alongside him again and I think he will be a very good person to have in the group.’

Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo has also endorsed the club’s move for his former Brighton teammate Welbeck.

‘When he arrived here, I gave him a hug because I was so happy when he signed,’ Caicedo said. ‘As a player and as a person, Danny is top.

New Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso (Picture: Getty)

‘He helped me a lot when I arrived at Brighton. He was so important for me and to have him here at Chelsea, it feels good.

‘I am so happy to have him here and he is going to help us a lot for sure. With his mentality, he has everything and he is going to be so important for us.’

Welbeck, meanwhile, said he was ‘filled with such immense pride’ when Chelsea contacted him to discuss a summer move.