Joao Pedro in the Champions League. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Oscar names player who is the 'face of Chelsea' and it’s not Cole Palmer

Originally posted on Chelsea News | By Simon Phillips | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar has named the player who he feels is “the face of Chelsea” and it’s not Cole Palmer.

Oscar had a bit of an on and off career at Chelsea as a player. Fans seemed to like him a lot but he never really did fully live up to the expectations that many had of him, despite having some very good moments in Chelsea blue as well.

He has just appeared on John Obi Mikel’s Podcast this week, and of course, the pair played together in the same Chelsea side for a while.

They were focusing on some current Chelsea players, and attacker Joao Pedro obviously came up being a fellow Brazilian alongside Oscar. So it was very interesting to be able to get Oscar’s opinion on Pedro.

Pedro started his Chelsea career on fire really, scoring goal after goal. But since then he’s quietened down a little bit. But Oscar is not concerned.

Oscar on Pedro

“I think he is,” Oscar told The Obi One Podcast when asked whether Joao Pedro is the man to lead Chelsea’s attack.

“He had already been in the Premier League (before he joined Chelsea), so he knows how to score goals (there).

“You know how difficult it is to score goals for (the smaller teams) in the Premier League, and he scored a lot of goals for Brighton.

“He’s strong. He can score with his head, with his feet. I like him.

“I think he’s a player who’s the face of Chelsea. He fights.

“I hope that he can keep going this way, you know.”

I love Pedro, but he’s not a 9

Personally, I think Pedro is a 10 and not really a 9. Sure, he does a job there, but if you want the best out of him I think you need him deeper and on the ball more. So I don’t see him as the guy to lead the line for Chelsea, personally.

This article first appeared on Chelsea News and was syndicated with permission.

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