Alonso: Joao Pedro is on Haaland's level

Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso believes Joao Pedro is on the same level as Manchester City's Erling Haaland and has compared the Brazilian to Real Madrid icon Karim Benzema following a blistering start to the season.

The 24-year-old forward claimed the Premier League's Player of the Month award for August after helping the Blues collect six points from their opening three games of the campaign. Flanked by Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer in attack, Joao Pedro has already registered two goals and two assists.

Only Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak and Bruno Fernandes have scored more goals than Joao Pedro in the Premier League this term, while his 1.87 non-penalty expected goals (xG) is the highest of any Chelsea player and the fifth-best in the division overall. The former Brighton attacker has also converted 20% of his shots, the best rate of any player with 1.5 xG or more.

'I would rate him that way'

Ahead of Saturday's clash with Hull City, Alonso was asked whether he would rank Joao Pedro alongside Haaland among the best strikers in England — and the Spaniard did not hold back.

"I would say yes. If you count how many top strikers we have in the Premier League, I am sure that Joao is there. So I would rate him that way. He has been top, not just football-wise, personality-wise, also his maturity, his desire.

"He has a very strong goal this year; to have a great season, to score many goals, and to be a nominee for not just this month but more months. I am not surprised, but really happy with the kind of player that we have here with Joao."

The Benzema comparison

Alonso went further, comparing the Chelsea forward to the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Benzema.

"In many things, he reminds me of Benzema, because he is good in the box, he is good out of the box, he is good coming to the left side, he is good with the head. He is very complete and he is intelligent. He is still young. He still has things to develop. But he has many, many absolutely outstanding qualities."

Joao Pedro will look to continue his red-hot form against Hull on Saturday. Chelsea have never lost in 10 Premier League meetings with the Tigers (W8 D2), only facing Portsmouth more times without losing in the competition (14). However, the Blues have failed to win any of their last four home league games against newly promoted sides (D3 L1), and only once in their league history have they gone five matches without winning at home to promoted opponents, doing so between April 1947 and September 1948.