Pedro Neto has revealed he formed a friendship with Chelsea captain Reece James through social media with the duo spending a large part of last season injured.
Neto is Chelsea’s latest summer signing after completing his £51.4m move from Wolves and he was introduced to the Stamford Bridge crowd at half time during Sunday’s game against Inter Milan.
The Portugal international has penned a seven year contract with the club and will start training with his new team-mates at Cobham this week and could make his debut against Manchester City this weekend.
Neto formed friendship with James through social media
The deal for Neto very much came out of the Blue and it had been kept from the media until it was virtually a done deal.
The 24-year-old is a proven quantity in the Premier League and is a great fit for Maresca’s system given he can play on both the left and right wing.
Despite, injury limiting him to 20 Premier League appearances last season Neto still managed to provide nine assists and that creative spark he possesses is going to be a big plus for Chelsea.
Neto will be competing with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk for a place on the wing, whilst Cole Palmer will reportedly play more centrally this season.
It’s a big move for Neto, who will be looking to settle in quickly but he revealed he already knows a couple of players at the club.
In an interview with Chelsea’s website Neto detailed how he had formed a friendship with James through social media, as the pair exchanged recovery ideas with both suffering hamstring injuries last season, whilst he also knows Renato Veiga from the Portugal set up.
Chelsea will be hoping that Neto and James can stay fit for the new campaign and both players could play a key role in any success the Blues have next season.
