£30m PL striker admits he was really disappointed when Newcastle move fell through

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Brighton striker Joao Pedro has admitted that he was disappointed when his move to Newcastle United from Watford broke down last summer.

Newcastle had been on the lookout for a new star attacker to lead the line back in 2022 and came so close to buying Pedro, but it was Alexander Isak who would become a marquee signing for the Magpies instead.

In an interview with Globo Esporte, Pedro has now revealed how devastated he was at the time to learn that any potential move to the North East was off.

The then 20-year-old had just been relegated with Watford and was very keen to get back into the Premier League, but he would have to wait longer than he would have liked for his big move.

Newcastle came so close to signing Pedro

At the time, all the rumours suggested that Pedro was practically already a Newcastle player. Fabrizio Romano had even given the move his signature ‘here we go’ after claiming it was a ‘done deal’.

A medical had even been set up for the Brazilian and the deal was fully agreed between both clubs. That was until Newcastle’s main priority, Isak, became available, and then Pedro’s deal was off the table.

Instead of moving to Newcastle, Pedro signed a contract extension at Watford and would have to wait another 12 months before Brighton came along with an offer of £30m.

In his interview, the forward said: “I had this negotiation with Newcastle, until months ago I was upset about not leaving. However, I said: now is my moment at Watford, I have to make it happen, since it didn’t happen, this time it will happen. 

“I made it happen last season and I think it was the best way for Brighton, it’s a club that gives opportunities to young people, it believes in us. I made the right choice, I’m very happy here.”

It didn’t work out between the two parties at the time and Pedro was understandably disappointed, but it looks like this was the best outcome for both sides given what we know now.

What could have been for Newcastle

Joao Pedro does have a lot of similarities with Isak. Rather than a traditional number nine like Callum Wilson, they are more fluid attackers who prefer to play with the ball at their feet, driving at defenders.

They are also both a similar age, it was just that Isak was way ahead in terms of his development and ready to be a top striker in Europe.

Pedro hasn’t exactly done bad for himself at Brighton since the move to Newcastle fell through. he is playing regular football in both the Premier League and Europa League, scoring five times in 16 games.

The young attacker has shown a lot of promise at both Watford and Brighton and may have developed into a star at Newcastle, but he was still nowhere near the finished product that the Magpies were eyeing up at the time.