Rosenior: Joao Pedro in same 'category' as Kane, Haaland and Mbappe

Liam Rosenior believes Joao Pedro belongs in the same "world-class category" as forwards like Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

Joao Pedro netted a hat-trick on Wednesday to guide Chelsea to a 4-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League, taking his tally to 17 goals for the season (since the Club World Cup).

Across Europe's top five leagues, he has the joint-10th best tally this season.

Fourteen of his goals have come in the top-flight, none of them from the penalty spot, with only Haaland (19) scoring more non-penalty goals than the Chelsea forward in the competition.

Kane has netted 20 times for Bayern Munich if you do not include his penalties, while Mbappe has scored 15 such goals for Real Madrid.

And Rosenior was full of high praise for Joao Pedro, who he believes is at the very top of the game.

Asked if the Brazilian was operating at the same level as the trio, Rosenior said: "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."

Joao Pedro has netted his tally of 17 from 15.9 expected goals (xG), an overperformance of 1.1 xG, and boasts a shot conversion rate of 24.3%.

He is averaging a goal every 162.4 minutes for Chelsea in all competitions, with a shooting accuracy of 58.5% (hit the target with 31 of his 70 shots).

By contrast, Haaland has 29 goals in all competitions for Manchester City (27.1 xG), while he averages a goal every 106.8 minutes. His shot conversion rate is slightly lower at 22.3%, but he has had 130 shots.

As for Kane, he is enjoying a career-best scoring campaign, having netted a whopping 45 goals in all competitions in 2025-26, more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues, while averaging a goal every 66.7 minutes for Bayern.

His 30.6% shot conversion rate and 76.5% shooting accuracy are among the best in Europe.

And Mbappe has 38 goals, having had the most shots out of the quartet with 163 in total. He scores every 74.8 minutes on average for Madrid.