Chelsea have just presented new signing Pedro Neto at half time on the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
The winger arrives from Wolves for €63m after a fast moving deal which only started to bubble up on Thursday was quickly completed. He’s been watching our friendly against Inter today, and should be ready to join training next week in the build up to the start of the Premier League.
He has signed a 7 year deal, and the 24 year old spoke in glowing terms about his excitement about playing for the Blues:
“I feel really grateful to have joined this club. I have worked really hard in my career to be here and I’m looking forward to getting on the pitch with this shirt.”
Neto is right footed but has played on the left too, adding a lot of options to Enzo Maresca’s armoury, and putting some much needed pressure on our existing wide options to step it up. He’s a full Portugal international, and if he can stay healthy can be a real difference maker for us.
https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/status/1822646654992027915
A big risk – but a good player
We have our reservations about this move for a number of reasons. The first is squad building – where does Neto fit in? Who is he replacing? Who is being sold or loaned out or benched? Where is he improving us?
The second is his fitness. He’s had ankle, knee and hamstring issues, and has struggled to complete a full season since 2020.
But his ability as a player is not in question – he’s explosive and could be a real menace if put in the right positions. It’s a risky move, but one we can see the potential in.
There are some whispers that this deal has been driven by the ownership rather than the sporting directors – it will be interesting to see if any evidence supporting that theory either way comes out.
