Pedro Neto has been the topic of internal discussions at Chelsea this week as the club responds to reported high-profile interest in the winger ahead of the summer transfer window.
Chelsea signed Pedro Neto from Wolves for around £54 million. It was a signing that looked expensive when it happened, but he exploded into action in the middle part of this season, scoring four and assisting twice in seven Premier League games.
And last season wasn’t bad for Pedro Neto either, scoring nine and assisting nine in all competitions.
But of late, the Portuguese winger has struggled. Neto’s performance against his old club Wolves raised concerns, as he failed to complete any of his eight crosses and lost possession 14 times.
What did we make of Pedro Neto’s performance vs Wolves?🤔
Pedro Neto's stats vs Wolves
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Pedro Neto has decided he’s happy at Chelsea
A report from TeamTALK states that Pedro Neto is perfectly fine with his situation at Chelsea.
It states that Neto himself is understood to be very happy with life at Stamford Bridge. The attacker feels settled, valued by the coaching staff and aligned with the club’s long‑term project.
Another big factor is that his partner, Carolina Silva, is also enjoying the London life, having been by his side and neither have any particular desire to relocate.
Internally, they are also not worried about Neto’s performances and the rumours that he could be put up for sale are far from accurate.
Starting to think Jamie Carragher has a point…😬
Jamie Carragher on Liam Delap
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Interestingly, BlueCo sees Neto as a model professional and are convinced that he would be a difficult player to replace if he were to leave Stamford Bridge.
It’s just up to him to improve his performances with Geovany Quenda to arrive in the summer.
Pedro Neto’s best position is on the right
Statistically, Pedro Neto is at his best when deployed as a right winger, a role that allows him to cut in onto his preferred left foot.
However, Liam Rosenior’s tactical shift has introduced a more versatile version of the Portuguese international. The Chelsea boss has frequently experimented with Neto out on the left and even dropping into the pocket at times to create space for Cole Palmer.
But this just hasn’t helped the winger. One of his main strengths is getting shots off on his left foot and cutting inside to curl balls to the back post, which hasn’t been possible with the switch.
One thing that has improved this season is his defending. His heat map shows a significant increase in defensive recoveries (66 in the Premier League) when he tracks back to support the full-back.
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