Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato arrived at Stamford Bridge on loan from Corinthians amidst much attention and hype, but his stay hasn’t been as productive as Chelsea would’ve liked.
Pato completed a move to Chelsea in the January transfer window, but spent his first couple of months unable to compete due to a lack of match fitness. He finally made his first appearance, albeit off the bench, for Chelsea in their 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in April, scoring from the penalty spot and providing an assist.
However, any hopes that had been sparked by his impressive debut have been doused by his performance against Swansea City. This may cause Chelsea to think twice about making him a permanent signing, but Pato is keen to extend his stay in London.
“He wanted to come to Chelsea, that was his first choice,” the player’s agent told Goal.com.
“He loves the Premier League and wants to stay here if Chelsea want to keep him.
“He’ll speak with the club at the end of the season – there is a new manager coming in and we will have to have a conversation [about a permanent transfer].
The report goes on to say that Pato has taken a liking to London and wants to play for a Premier League club from the capital.
A back-up striker at best
Alexandre Pato’s sparkling form for Brazilian club Sao Paolo, where he was on loan from Corinthians and scored 26 goals in 56 appearances, attracted the interest of Chelsea, and allegedly other Premier League clubs. The Blues secured the 26-year-old on loan towards the end of the January transfer window in an attempt to address their goal scoring woes.
However, Pato hasn’t been a big success at Stamford Bridge so far, his good debut show notwithstanding. He spent more than two months out with injury and was very disappointing against Swansea City. He still has six games to impress, and new manager Antonio Conte might consider him as a good back-up striker if he manages to get some goals before the end of the season.
