Joao Pedro signs new deal at Chelsea and takes on club’s ‘cursed’ No. 9 shirt

Joao Pedro of Chelsea, center runs for the ball near Lloyd Kelly of Juvenus at left during a pre-season friendly soccer match for the Hong Kong Football Festival in Hong Kong

LONDON (AP) — Brazil striker Joao Pedro has signed a new contract with Chelsea until 2034 — and also taken on the Premier League team’s No. 9 jersey which many attackers have struggled in.

Pedro’s previous deal, signed when he joined from Brighton a year ago, was set to run until 2032 with the option of a further year.

The extension, on improved terms, was announced Saturday and comes in recognition of the impact he made in finishing his debut season at Chelsea with 20 goals.

“I always dreamed of playing for a big club, and it means a lot to me to give my long-term commitment to this club,” Pedro said. “Chelsea has a long tradition of winning and it has big ambitions for the future.”

The 24-year-old Pedro was a surprise omission from the Brazil squad for this summer’s World Cup.

He is set to begin the season as newly hired manager Xabi Alonso’s first-choice striker, with Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson having been made available for transfer. Danny Welbeck, who signed in July from Brighton, is in contention to feature when Chelsea kicks off its Premier League campaign away to Fulham on Monday.

Pedro has taken the No. 9 jersey relinquished by Delap.

Thirteen players have struggled to make a prolonged impact in the shirt since it was worn to great effect by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

They include three club-record signings up front — including Fernando Torres — and Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz.

It has sometimes been called the “curse of Khalid Boulahrouz.”