Chelsea’s glorious involvement in the summer’s FIFA Club World Cup meant a late start for most of the players, as preparations kicked off for the new campaign, with pre-season training beginning last Monday.

That was followed by two friendly victories over Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan in the VisitMalta Weekender, the first of those coming less than four weeks after our 2024/25 concluded with the Club World Cup final win against Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite that later start, Joao Pedro has no doubts that the Blues are ready for Sunday’s Premier League opener with Crystal Palace.

‘The other players deserved their break, they had a long season,’ said the Brazilian. ‘But I think everyone is fresh now and ready for the next season.’

The striker himself is certainly up to speed ahead of 2025/26. Having joined Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion midway through the Club World Cup, the striker opted to get straight to work on his return to England.

‘I was training at Cobham before because I came straight back after the final,’ he explained. ‘I already had my holiday before so I came straight to find a house to move from Brighton to Cobham. So I’ve been there before the others.

‘I spent four days in Spain to enjoy a little bit after the final, but I had already had my break earlier. I was back in Brazil for five weeks before joining Chelsea. That was good so that’s why I came straight back to the training ground.

‘I have found somewhere to live now near Cobham. It felt weird in the first days I was back here because everything is new, but now I feel comfortable at Cobham.

‘The good thing was Jamie [Gittens, another summer signing] was there so we spent a lot of time training together. It was very good to train with him from the beginning.’

Of course, unlike Gittens, who was ineligible to represent Chelsea at the Club World Cup following his move from fellow-competitors Borussia Dortmund, Joao Pedro has already made an impact with his new team.

His first two starts came in the USA, when he netted both goals in the 2-0 semi-final win over Fluminense, before getting our third as we beat PSG 3-0 in the final itself. He scored twice more over the weekend, once in each of our friendlies, to continue that impressive start.

He credits the familiarity he already feels with his new team-mates for contributing to that flying start in blue, but isn’t satisfied yet, being determined to continue hitting new heights once the new season begins.

‘It has been a very good experience right from the start,' he added. 'I’m very comfortable, I think because I’ve been in England for five years already playing against them, so I know the players.

‘Of course it’s always a difficult moment for a new player to join in the middle of the tournament, but they were very welcoming with me. Reece [James] spoke with me, and Tosin [Adarabioyo], Enzo [Fernandez] text me the first day I joined.

‘So they helped me a lot, they tried to make me feel less pressure. I think that’s why I had a good experience in America.

‘Everyone said I looked like I’ve been here for a long time already. The beginning was very good, but I need to keep working hard to improve always. I need to work hard, help the team, help the club to achieve our objectives.

‘I need to look forward, to this season. I’m very excited because I can see we have a strong group and I think we can achieve a lot of things by the end of the season.’

That task begins on Sunday, when Crystal Palace come to Stamford Bridge for our first competitive fixture of 2025/26.