Chelsea Transfer News: Dani Alves Tells Pedro He Should Have Stayed at Barcelona

Barcelona full-back Dani Alves has revealed he told Chelsea winger Pedro not to leave the La Liga giants during the summer, advice he still advocates after his friend's rocky start to life in England.

The Blues signed Pedro late in the transfer window for £21 million despite interest from Manchester United. With Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez occupying the front three spots for Barcelona, first-team chances always looked likely to be at a premium for the Spain international, but Alves insisted he still should have stuck around.

“I told Pedro he should have stayed at the team but too many people got involved,” said the Brazilian, per Marc Williams of the Daily Star. “Had he stayed he would have been happy here, but we don’t make the decisions. If we did, I would want him to stay for years.”

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Chelsea looked to have landed themselves a bargain when Pedro dazzled on his debut for the Blues against West Bromwich Albion, notching a goal and an assist. But the positive contributions have dried up for the winger since that 3-2 win at The Hawthorns, as Chelsea’s poor form continues to rumble on.

Indeed, the former Barcelona man was relegated to the bench for the Blues’ previous clash with Southampton. The Chelsea News App account thinks that was the right decision:

"

Pedro needed to be dropped, he hasn't been very good recently. Hope he comes back stronger.

— Chelsea News App (@CFCNewsApp) October 3, 2015"

Barcelona could definitely do with their former player at the moment. Luis Enrique’s squad has been riddled by injury problems as of late, with Messi not set to return to action until mid-November and Rafinha, who has often operated in the front three, ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.

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If Pedro had stayed with the Blaugrana, he would have been getting much more regular minutes on the field, especially up until January, when Barca will be able to call upon Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal. Moving the 28-year-old on so swiftly may be a decision the club’s hierarchy regret if Barcelona continue to toil.

As noted here by Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez, the Barcelona squad is really stretched at the minute:

Perhaps Pedro should have been kept in situ by the Catalan giants up until the January window, but it’s little surprise he wanted to leave the club. Usurping Messi, Suarez or Neymar from the starting XI on a regular basis is almost an impossible ask, and in his peak years, the 28-year-old should be looking to play as much football as possible.

Pedro did seem a hugely popular figure at Barcelona, so it’s little surprise Alves would have wanted him to stick around.

Still, you suspect leaving the club where he has spent his entire professional career is not a decision Pedro took lightly and eventually, when things settle down at Stamford Bridge, he will prove the choice he made was the correct one.