Pedro Neto left Wolverhampton Wanderers and completed his move to Chelsea a few days ago, so now we can look at the winners and losers from his arrival.
A busy summer transfer window at Stamford Bridge continued on Sunday when Pedro Neto was officially announced as a Chelsea player on a seven-year deal.
The versatile 24-year-old star, who can play anywhere across the attack, has joined up with a large squad.
Chelsea fans believe Neto perfectly fits their system, so let’s hope that Blues head coach Enzo Maresca agrees with them.
- READ MORE: Roy Keane and Ian Wright completely disagree over Pedro Neto’s move to Chelsea from Wolves
Winners from Neto deal
First up, let’s look at the five winners from the Neto transfer to Chelsea this summer…
Enzo Maresca
Chelsea boss Maresca is definitely someone that should be over the moon with Neto’s arrival because it adds even more firepower to his attacking options.
During an interview with Chelsea’s official website, Neto claimed he’s happy playing central or wide attacking positions. It’ll fall on the Blues manager to work out how to get the best from the former Wolves favourite.
On paper, Neto should be a natural fit for Maresca with the way he deploys his wingers. It should be a real boost for the new Chelsea coach that he’s got another individual that excels with dribbling one-on-one.
Renato Veiga
Renato Veiga, who similarly signed for Chelsea in this summer window, should enjoy the Neto addition for a couple of reasons.
It’s immediately going to help the 21-year-old Portuguese youngster that he’s got a fellow countryman in the dressing room to help him settle.
On top of that, Veiga should enjoy a hard-working winger in front of him like Neto if they both play on the left-hand side.
Nicolas Jackson
Next, Blues striker Nicolas Jackson should simply love an incoming like Neto.
If you look back to Neto last season, he created 11 assists in just 24 games across all competitions for Wolves.
The skilful left-footed winger is such a fantastic creator when it comes to crossing or sliding through a forward pass, so the centre-forwards at the club should be excited about the potential creativity from wide areas.
Jackson was fortunate to have service from the likes of Malo Gusto and Cole Palmer last season. He could fill his boots even more if Neto hits the ground running at his new home.
The fans
Chelsea supporters have seen mostly young and upcoming players join the club in recent transfer windows. However, Neto breaks the mould a little bit and comes as a proven player in the Premier League.
The Chelsea fanbase can immediately get excited about the signing from Wolves because they’ve seen him regularly during his five years at Molineux Stadium. There’s a chance he could be a new fan favourite if he stays fit and shows his best form with his incredible individual talent.
Speaking via X a few days ago, Paul Merson insisted Neto could be great for Chelsea.
Wolves
Chelsea agreed a £54m deal (BBC) for Neto this summer. As much as that deal has huge potential to be a great transfer, it’s equally a decent bit of business for sellers Wolves.
They’ve managed to bring in a sizeable sum of cash for a player that did have his fair share of injuries with them. If they reinvest the funds properly, Wolves may end up in a strong position despite selling arguably their best talent.
Losers from Neto deal
Unfortunately, there may be some negatively impacted by the Neto transfer. Here is a look at the possible losers from the newest transfer…
Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling is surely one of several players in the Chelsea dressing room nervously looking over their shoulder after the new signing.
Gianluca Di Marzio reported that Neto’s transfer may lead to Chelsea selling Sterling, who’s attracting interest from Italian giants Juventus.
Sterling may find it even tougher to nail down a permanent spot in the Blues starting line-up if Neto does do well.
Mykhailo Mudryk
If Sterling’s position in the XI is under threat, the same definitely goes for Mykhailo Mudryk.
Mudryk, who usually only plays on the left wing, should be under even more pressure to deliver. However, we’ve seen he’s still incredibly raw on a football pitch and you never quite know what you’ll get from him.
There’s quite a stark contrast between Neto and Mudryk when you compare their composure and decision-making around the penalty box.
Noni Madueke
Like above, Noni Madueke should also feel threatened by Neto’s transfer. The right-winger has done well in Chelsea’s pre-season under Maresca, scoring three goals in total, but it may not be enough in the end.
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea would listen to offers for Madueke. Therefore, could Neto actually be his like-for-like replacement as a left-footed winger who can cut infield?
It’s been hard enough in the past year for Madueke to compete with Palmer, so the arrival of another quality attacker is worrying for him.
Tyrique George
Finally, Chelsea prospect Tyrique George may be negatively impacted by the arrival of a high-profile winger. It surely makes the academy graduate’s route into the senior squad even tougher now than before.
The young winger has been around Chelsea’s main group during pre-season this summer, earning his spot on the tour of the United States. He’s surely only going further down the pecking order with Neto’s arrival, though.
It feels like George’s best course of action next season may be a loan move if the club thinks he’s ready for senior football.
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