Behdad Eghbali pushed Chelsea to make £54m signing, it’s a decision that’s really starting to pay off

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Both Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have been criticised since taking over Chelsea, and a lot of that criticism has been fair.

Boehly and Eghbali sacked Thomas Tuchel, while some of their big-money signings have just not worked out.

Mykhailo Mudryk instantly comes to mind, while Joao Felix has also been a waste of money. The Portuguese is already at another club on loan, and Chelsea could now find it difficult to offload him permanently this summer.

It is being reported that AC Milan do not plan to buy Felix at the end of his loan spell as things stand. At one stage, Felix’s compatriot Pedro Neto was starting to look like a failed transfer as well, but he has turned a corner.

• READ MORE: Pedro Neto names which Chelsea teammate is second-fastest at the club behind him

Behdad Eghbali wanted Pedro Neto at Chelsea

Chelsea signed Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer, bringing the winger in for £54m.

It was a big fee, but Neto is an exciting wide man with Premier League experience. It was not a surprise that Chelsea were interested in him and were willing to pay a lot of money for his signature.

Clearly convinced by the player’s qualities, it has been claimed that Eghbali pushed for Chelsea to sign Neto.

Despite all of the above, Neto made quite a slow start to life at Stamford Bridge and did not make too much of an impact during the first half of the season.

The 25-year-old has admitted himself that he was not happy with his form. When Neto spoke about his performances last month, he said: “I want to do better, to be honest. I know I can do much better.”

To his credit, since then, he has done just that. Eghbali’s decision to bring him to Stamford Bridge is now being justified.

Pedro Neto filling in for Nicolas Jackson well

Injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu have left Chelsea very short up front. As a result, Enzo Maresca has had to use Neto as a striker, and the Portuguese has not disappointed.

Neto recently scored and grabbed an assist in the Blues’ 4-0 win against Southampton, while he also set up Enzo Fernandez in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.

Simply put, Neto is doing a job for Chelsea right now. Their current attack would look so much worse without him.

The Portugal international is also having fun in this new role that he is being deployed in. When Neto discussed playing as a No.9, he said: “I’m really enjoying playing there.” Hopefully there is even more to come from the former Wolves man.