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Joao Pedro's arrival at Chelsea was met with division amongst the club's fan base. A talented player? Yes. What Chelsea need? That seemed to be up for debate.
A signing should never be written off after three games, nor should it be proven right, so in many ways, it still is up for debate. Joao Pedro, though, has looked incredible.
In terms of attacking numbers - in competitive matches - nobody in the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly era has started better than the Brazilian. In his first opening three matches, the 23-year-old has scored three goals. It is fair to say, each one has been superb for different reasons.
His latest, the third in Chelsea's 3-0 FIFA Club World Cup final triumph over Paris Saint-Germain, was a classic No.9's goal - making a run in behind the defence before fooling Gianluigi Donnarumma with a delicate chip - although he is far from your classic No.9. His opening two goals, on his full debut against Fluminense last week, proved just that.
His opener came from the ball falling to him on the edge of the box, and he then took a touch, picked his spot and caressed one into the top corner. His second was a lot more explosive; sprinting down the left wing on a counter attack before unleashing a formidable strike in off the crossbar.
It has been some start from Joao Pedro. You cannot remember too many starts like this in recent Chelsea history. The only one that immediately comes to mind is Diego Costa all the way back in 2014 where the former Blues forward struck four goals in his opening three games. He then went onto score seven in his first four appearances.
"What a quality player," Ronaldo, the Brazil icon, said on DAZN before the Club World Cup final. Joao Pedro would then go onto prove his compatriot right - and then some - with a sensational performance in the final. One that is perhaps being overlooked somewhat due to the brilliance of Cole Palmer.
Not only did Joao Pedro score a wonderful goal, but his all-round play was superb throughout his 67 minutes on the pitch. He should have had an assist very early on when he laid the ball off to Palmer with an exquisite back heel.
Also, his work off the ball was massive for Chelsea. He was constantly bothering Marquinhos and Lucas Beraldo whenever the PSG centre-backs were in possession. Simply put, he just looks like a nuisance to play against.
As far as starts go, you cannot get much better than Joao Pedro's at Chelsea. It has, furthermore, seemingly pushed Nicolas Jackson further down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
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