Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson has said that Pedro Neto has been Chelsea’s best winger this season.
The Blues headed into the international break on a low after they lost 1-0 to rivals Arsenal. Despite this, they are still fourth in the Premier League, one point above Manchester City in fifth.
Enzo Maresca‘s side will hope to end their season on a high, as they have the chance to both qualify for the Champions League, and win the Europa Conference League.
However, one position that has been problematic for Maresca this season is on the wings, as he has struggled to find a consistent pairing on the left and right-hand side.
We spoke to former Chelsea and Liverpool defender Glen Johnson, who named the one Blues winger that he has been impressed with this season at Stamford Bridge.
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He told ChelseaNews via Betano: “Neto. Again, I think he was great last season in glimpses, and I think he’s got that sort of bit of magic, you know, that flair going forward, whereas once he’s aggressive and, you know, a bit more positive, then you know, I think he’s got goals and assists to his game that, you know, he can prove on all his numbers so far.”
He picked Neto over fellow winger Noni Madueke, who Johnson had worried about due to his lack of consistency this season.
“In glimpses, he’s [Madueke] looked unstoppable, but you can’t play for a club like Chelsea and do it in glimpses, because there’s going to be someone knocking on the door to take your place.”
He added, “That is probably the main thing about Neto as well – he does it more consistently. Madueke has got the beating of anybody when he’s up for it.”
Johnson uncertain on whether Chelsea should keep Jadon Sancho
The other winger that Maresca is rotating with at the moment, is on loan winger Jadon Sancho, who has also struggled to find consistent performances for the Blues this season.
Reports emerged last week saying that Chelsea do have the option to send Sancho back to Man United should they not want to sign him permanently.
We asked Johnson if they should allow him to leave. He said: “I think it’s probably like the equation of everything, probably the lack of goals, lack of consistency, and the price that they might have to pay to keep him.
“It might fall into place that, yes, he’s a good player, and yes, he can offer an awful lot but is it worth it when the deal is going to be expensive, and, you know, by the end of the season, if he’s scored three goals or something, is that really worth the money?”
Click here to see Chelsea’s first team squad for the 2024/25 season.