Despite now quite famously being a Chelsea fan, Paul Merson is known for his association with Arsenal.
So when the two teams interact, it’s always interesting to get his takes. With the season now underway, we get his regular takes on the Sky Sports website every week, and this time around it was all about a player Chelsea signed who he reckoned should have gone the other direction.
“Someone else who I think can do really well is Pedro Neto at Chelsea,” Merson said in his column.
“At the start of the summer, I thought he’d be a great signing for Arsenal. He suits them down to the ground and is a player that could have taken the load off Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
“So, that deal shocked me. If Chelsea can keep him fit, I think it is an incredible signing.”
Neto comes into a crowded squad at Chelsea, but his experience and his dynamism should guarantee him a starting spot when he’s fit.
What makes or breaks Neto move
There’s a major caveat in there however – “if Chelsea can keep him fit.” The Blues have not proved good at keeping players fit, and Neto has not been good at staying fit. Sources have said that Chelsea did in depth studies on the Portugal winger’s issues and concluded they were just bad luck, but having had knee ankle and hamstring issues in his career, he’s a walking red flag.
Still, the €63m is spent now, and Neto is potentially ready to play tomorrow from what we hear from his manager. If he can play consistently this season, all the injury woes will be forgotten, and hopefully people will be jumping on Merson’s bandwagon and claiming the Blues got a bargain here.
Toney Chiesa and Felix will be a good addition to the team . Osimhen price tags and wages to expensive . Plus get a world class center back a solid defender to command and lead the team defence.