It was with a heavy heart that Pedro Neto left Wolves recently to join Chelsea in a £54 million deal, after five years at the club.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs claimed Neto did not particularly want to depart Molineux, it was more a case of not passing up an opportunity.
It had long been felt that this summer was Neto‘s time to go.
He had shone last season when he was fit to play, and Wanderers were always going to make one of two big sales.
It was Chelsea who came in for him, which was somewhat of a surprise given they were probably the Big Six club to have been linked with Neto the least.
It will be interesting to see how he gets on at Stamford Bridge because right now, it is chaos at the club regarding transfers. An influx of players have come in, meaning competition could be extremely tough.
But Wolves fans will back Neto to shine having seen what he’s capable of for so long, and last night on Monday Night Football, Jamie Carragher dropped his verdict on the player after watching him at Wolves.
Jamie Carragher admits he wanted ‘special talent’ Pedro Neto at Liverpool after seeing him shine at Wolves
Neto joined Wolves in the summer of 2019, arriving at Molineux in a double deal with midfielder Bruno Jordao from Braga.
Neto quickly became one of the most exciting young players in the Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Sadly the Portuguese livewire spent a lot of time in the treatment room during his five years at Wolves, having sustained serious knee, ankle and hamstring injuries.
But when he played, he lifted fans out of their chairs pretty much every game.
Last night on Monday Night Football, Jamie Carragher chose Neto as his ‘player to watch’ this season following his £54 million transfer from Wolves to Chelsea.
The former Liverpool defender loved watching the star at Wolves, saying: “I think, but for injuries, this is a player who could play for the best teams in the world. I really do believe that.
“He’s a player I’ve watched for Wolves in the last three or four years and I’ve always thought ‘I’d love Liverpool to sign him’.
“I just look at him, the pace and the quality on the ball, he scores goals, and I just hope he stays fit.
“I think if Chelsea can keep him fit, I think he’s a special talent. He’s a player I love to watch and I actually get down a little bit when I hear he’s injured again, (even though) Wolves are not my team. I think he’s one of the top players in the Premier League when he’s fit.”
Neto might regret Chelsea move
- READ MORE: How Pedro Neto fared on his Chelsea debut v Man City just days after leaving Wolves for £54m
Many Wolves fans will hope that Neto makes a success of his move to Chelsea.
He left the club on good terms and provided fans with some amazing moments over the last five years, and is a player who could genuinely become world-class.
It will be really fascinating to see how he gets on at Chelsea, whose transfer policy right now is extremely questionable.
They have a massive squad, and it is going to be very hard for Enzo Maresca to keep everybody happy.
It will potentially be difficult for Neto with so much competition, and on paper, maybe Arsenal or Liverpool would have been a better move for him.