Chelsea transfer addition of 'perfect' Pedro from Barcelona hailed by ex-teammate Thierry Henry

Imminent new Chelsea signing Pedro has been described as the "perfect professional" by former Barcelona forward Thierry Henry. The Spanish international is on the brink of swapping the Catalan giants for the Premier League champions after Manchester United withdrew from a deal for the forward.

The Guardian has reported that Pedro could complete his move to West London, after Louis van Gaal pulled out of a move for the 28 year old, in the next 24 hours after the Blues activated the player's £21.2m ($33.2m) release clause. Pedro has fallen out of favour at the Nou Camp following the addition of Luis Suarez last summer.

Pedro made just 25 starts in all competitions as Barcelona completed a La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble. But given the opportunity to play regularly for the first team, Henry – who played with Pedro between 2008 and 2010 – says his former teammate will give everything for the Chelsea cause.

"The perfect teammate, the perfect professional – he is that guy," he told Sky Sports, ahead of Pedro's move to Chelsea. "He pressures from the front, but he's also the player that any manager would love to have. You know what you're going to get with Pedro, always 100%. The way he plays, the way he trains, he doesn't talk, he doesn't create any problem for you, he's a team player who had exactly what you would love to have as a team-mate, as a player, or if you're the boss."

After a winless start to the season, the imminent addition of Pedro gives Chelsea a welcome boost ahead of an attempt to address their form against West Bromwich Albion. The World Cup winner could even be in line to make his debut at The Hawthorns and Henry says he will take no time to adapt to English football.

"He came into training, and because he went through the youth system at Barcelona he knows that system inside out," the Frenchman confirmed. "But he can adapt to the English system, he won't have to learn, he will understand staying wide, putting pressure and all that type of thing from the front and the first time I saw him he was already on point.

"He knows the system so he looked like he was playing for us forever when he first played. I think he can be a success. It depends on how the team is going to gel, and how he has to adapt to the Premier League. But he is definitely a great teammate to have, he's won everything in the game."