It was perhaps inevitable that Pedro Neto would leave Wolves ahead of the 2024/25 season.
The winger was terrific last term when he was fit to play.
The Portuguese did again spend a fair bit of time on the sidelines due to picking up two hamstring injuries.
But Neto was the standout player when he was available, helping himself to three goals and 11 assists. Given the rate at which he was assisting, he would surely have contended for the Premier League Playmaker award at the end of the campaign had he stayed fit for the whole season.
Wolves sold Neto to Chelsea for £54 million, bringing the curtain down on a five-year stint at Molineux.
And so far, Shaka Hislop believes he’s been the signing of the season for the Blues.
Shaka Hislop says Pedro Neto has given Chelsea ‘a different dynamic’, after Wolves exit
The punditry team over at ESPN have been discussing the best and worst transfers made by Premier League clubs in the summer.
For Hislop, Neto is the best so far.
He said of the 24-year-old: “Well, he cost Chelsea quite a bit of money and you knew the player he was coming from Wolves.
“I just think he gives them a different dynamic in those wide areas.
“Every time he’s come off the bench he’s changed the game for Chelsea. I think he has been one of Chelsea’s brighter lights this season, in what has been a very good start to the season for the.”
Pedro Neto’s numbers for Chelsea so far
Wolves fans will not be too surprised that Neto has made a positive start to his Chelsea career, given how many top performances he gave in the old gold shirt.
A few people didn’t like how much Neto celebrated when he provided an assist for Joao Felix in Chelsea’s 6-3 win over Wolves at Molineux back in August.
| Pedro Neto for Chelsea so far |
| Appearances – 15 |
| Minutes played – 817 |
| Goals – 3 |
| Assists – 3 |
| Pass completion rate – 80.9% |
| Take-on success rate – 37.5% |
| Shot-creating actions per 90 – 4.35 |
But some didn’t read into it too much and are pleased to see the winger doing his thing and impressing.
So far, Neto has made 15 appearances for Chelsea and scored three goals. Before the international break, he grabbed his first in the league for the Blues, rifling one past David Raya in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal.
After that game against Arsenal, pundit Michael Bridges said that Neto was ‘an absolute superstar’.
Neto has also been his usual creative self, laying on three assists – with one of those inevitably coming against Wolves, as mentioned