Former Blue William Gallas has admitted he would liked to have seen the Blues sign Brazil legend Neymar as he’s a player with experience who can adapt very quickly.
Chelsea have increasingly tapped into the South American market since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over the club in 2022 and have made a number signings from the continent.
The Blues have signed Andrey Santos, Angelo Gabriel, Kendry Paez, Deivid Washington and Estevao Willian, with Argentine Aaron Anselmino very close to completing his move to the club.
Gallas would have liked Neymar at Chelsea
In Paez and Estevao the Blues have secured the signings of two of the biggest talents in South America, with both set to join the club in 2025.
Chelsea agreed a deal worth £17m for Paez last summer, whilst the club will pay Palmeiras an initial £29m for Estevao which could rise to over £51m, and many in Brazil view the 17-year-old as the best Brazilian born player since Neymar.
Ex-Chelsea player Gallas would rather have seen his former club sign Neymar saying that if he had the money he would have preferred to spend it on someone like the former Barcelona star.
“If I had the money I would’ve preferred to spend it on a player like Neymar,” he told Lord Ping.
“Someone with experience who will know how to adapt very quickly, it’s harder for young players.
“It would be good to see him in the Premier League and fans will love him too, I’m not sure if he could work with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal but Neymar to Chelsea, why not?”
Neymar has been linked with a move to Chelsea and the Premier League in the past, but a move has never materialised and he joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal last summer, but missed the majority of the season with an ACL injury.
Of course it would have been great to see Neymar in a Chelsea shirt, but the club have moved in a different direction under the new ownership and that sort of signing could very much be a thing of the past at Stamford Bridge.
