One of Chelsea's greatest problems has been solved by Liam Rosenior after £60m transfer

Joao Pedro has been in stunning form since Liam Rosenior was appointed Chelsea head coach last month with the Brazil international hoping to reach the 20-goal mark in his debut season

If you ask Liam Rosenior about Joao Pedro's best position, the Chelsea head coach will likely tell you the Brazilian can be useful in multiple roles. It's true - the 24-year-old can operate as the sole No.9 or he can operate a bit deeper, just behind the central striker.

We are now approaching two months since Rosenior took over from Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge, with the new head coach having 12 games in all competitions to work with his side. Joao Pedro has been used as the central striker in eight of those and as a No.10 just twice, so it is clear Rosenior, up until now, has preferred him higher up the pitch.

The results are there for everyone to see: the Brazil international has scored seven goals since Rosenior's appointment. And the fact Rosenior recently claimed Joao Pedro can become one of the best No.9s in world football suggests the Blues boss has already decided on his long-term role at the club.

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"Every player works on being the best player they can be, regardless of the role they're asked to carry out," said Rosenior last week when pressed on Joao Pedro's best position. "For Joao, he's had real rhythm. I've asked him to do different things and he's taken it on board and put it into practice. He's been outstanding."

Rosenior continued: "The quality has never been in doubt. The true test for Joao now - which is the exciting thing - is if he can maintain this level of intensity and this level of quality, he can be one of the best strikers in world football."

Almost eight months on from Chelsea splashing £60million to bring Joao Pedro in from Brighton, the Brazilian forward has scored 14 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions and is now on course to surpass Cole Palmer's tally from last season. Palmer was the Blues' top scorer last term, scoring 18 goals, while Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson had 15 and 13, respectively.

Nkunku was a bit like Joao Pedro in terms of being used as both a No.9 and No.10, while Jackson was used as an out-and-out striker. So in that regard, the £60million spent on Joao Pedro has already paid off, with Chelsea clearly improving in that position.

With 11 games of the Premier League season left to play, and however many matches in the Champions League and FA Cup, Joao Pedro could well reach the infamous 20-goal mark in his debut season at Stamford Bridge.

It would require him to maintain the form he has shown since Rosenior walked in but given how the new head coach has got the Brazilian firing, you would not put it past him.

If he can hit 20 goals, he would be the first No.9 to do that at Chelsea since Diego Costa back in the Blues' title-clinching 2016/17 campaign under Antonio Conte. Tammy Abraham came close in 2019/20 with 18 goals in all competitions, with only Eden Hazard and Palmer netting 20 or more in a single season since Costa.

With the form Joao Pedro is in, he will be desperate to score at least six more goals this season to get him to 20. His seven goals under Rosenior have matched his tally when Maresca was in charge this season. And he has played 16 fewer games.

His form will come as no surprise to those inside the club. Sources speaking to football.london have been impressed with Joao Pedro's application in training and his level of professionalism. The Brazilian is a very popular figure in the Chelsea dressing room and spends a lot of time with his compatriots Andrey Santos and Estevao Willian.

This weekend, Joao Pedro is set to start at the Emirates Stadium as Chelsea take on Arsenal for the third time in less than two months. One thing you can potentially criticise the Brazilian for during his almost eight months at Stamford Bridge is that he is yet to show his best form against the Premier League's traditional 'big six'.

His only goal against the six sides came against relegation-threatened Tottenham back in November. Chelsea's No.20 has produced in big games, most notably against Napoli where he proved to be the match winner to ensure the Blues qualified automatically to the Champions League last 16.

Coming up against William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, the Premier League's most feared centre-back pairing, on Sunday will prove a really tough challenge for Joao Pedro but one the Chelsea forward will be relishing as he looks to continue with the Blues on his back for the rest of the season

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