Chelsea is spending big again, but that is no surprise. However, out of their nine signings this summer, Chelsea raised eyebrows with the news of a deal for Pedro Neto. The Blues acquired the Portuguese from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported $65 million. Despite his sustained progression and constant links to larger teams, why has no other team taken a punt for the dynamic Portuguese winger?
Neto has been at Wolves since his move in 2019. He has since put up consistent numbers whenever he’s fit to play. He recorded an impressive 14 goals and assists in 24 appearances last season across all competitions, with nine assists in the league. That return is more than sufficient especially when he spent half the season injured.
But let’s talk about that elephant in the room. Neto has spent a lot of time on the injury table, and the jokes online about how Chelsea’s new right-hand side of Reece James and Pedro Neto will first meet up in the treatment room may come true with James already suffering a pre-season injury. After Neto’s major ACL injury in 2021, he has missed over 100 games. That’s not good reading for Chelsea fans and their medical team.
Yet, every time he returns, he instantly becomes Wolves’ biggest threat. With the news of Chelsea agreeing to a deal, Spurs reportedly also showed late interest, but Chelsea came out on top. So how will he fit in?
Neto’s profile is emblematic of the perfect modern winger
Since joining Wolves from Lazio in 2019, the Portuguese has made 135 appearances for his club, recording a total of 11 goals over his time in the Premier League. His goalscoring will need to improve, but his work-rate, direct play and tricky dribbles always made him a mainstay in the Wolves’ team, causing problems for any full-back in the league.
According to FBref, Neto is in the top 1% highest percentile compared to other wingers/attacking midfielders in assists. Putting that into perspective, only Kevin De Bruyne…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/pedro-neto-has-potential-to-top-abundant-chelsea-signings/
Author : Aasif Rahman
Publish date : 2024-08-13 19:07:21
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