Chelsea’s first-team player looks super comfortable and is coming into his own at Stamford Bridge now. That is according to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp.
Ahead of the 2025/26 season, Chelsea looked as strong as they have done for several years.
Enzo Maresca’s side have kickstarted the campaign with a draw against Crystal Palace, followed by an emphatic win away to West Ham on Friday night. If you look at the Blues squad right now, it looks extremely strong. They do have just over a week to make any more transfers, too.
Of course, Chelsea head coach Maresca deserves a lot of credit because he’s played a major role in improving the team during his first year in charge. After winning both the Club World Cup and Conference League, Maresca was nominated for Coach of the Year.
Jamie Redknapp working as a pundit for the Premier League match between Brighton and Manchester City.
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Jamie Redknapp thinks Pedro Neto is beginning to shine at Chelsea
According to Jamie Redknapp, Chelsea winger Pedro Neto, 25, is beginning to come good in West London.
He was super impressed by the Portuguese attacker’s individual performance to help thrash West Ham this week. Also, he suggests that the left-footed speedster is beginning to rekindle the form he showed at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
When discussing Chelsea star Neto, Redknapp said via Sky Sports’ Main Event channel (10:50pm, 22 August): “When he first came to the Premier League, he looked so exciting – such a talent. He’s had a lot of injuries. It feels like now the Club World Cup was huge for him.
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“I watched him playing again today and even at the weekend against Crystal Palace, just showing glimpses. Using his body. He was fantastic. It looks like he’s really comfortable in his own skin at the minute.”
Neto, who joined Chelsea from Wolves for £54m (BBC) 12 months ago, had a steady debut season last year. He finished with nine goals and nine assists in 51 appearances across all competitions.
On Friday night, Neto flew under the radar against West Ham because he was outstanding in the 5-1 demolition.
Even though he usually plays on the right flank, he starred as the left-winger against the Hammers. He powered in his first goal of the season and worked relentlessly for the entire 90 minutes.
There are now plenty of different options available to Chelsea head coach Maresca in the wide areas, but it feels like Neto has firmly established himself as a starter, regardless of which wing he slots in.
If he can sharpen up his end product, we’re confident he can properly emerge as one of the Premier League’s elite attackers this campaign. There’s a good reason that Benfica manager Bruno Lage hailed Neto as one of the world’s very best wingers already.
Chelsea winger Pedro Neto puts his thumbs up during the Premier League match against West Ham.
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Pedro Neto in Chelsea’s strongest XI
It could be a real headache for Maresca to pick his strongest starting line-up right now, but we’re pretty confident that he would find room for Neto in some capacity.
Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens, two exciting young wingers who joined Chelsea this summer, are raw talents with so much potential. As for Neto, it feels like he should be ready to deliver consistent performances most weeks as he begins to enter the prime years of his career.
Now that the frequent injury problems appear to be behind him, we’re confident we’ll see a lot more magical displays from a player who was extremely highly rated at Molineux Stadium.