Wolves fans experienced heartache in the summer as Chelsea captured their star winger Pedro Neto.
After five successful years at Wolves, Chelsea signed Neto for £54 million, who earned the right to showcase his talents at a top club.
Neto was an absolute superstar at Wolves and someone adored by the fanbase having produced countless moments of brilliance.
The 24-year-old could often win games on his own, utilising his incredible pace and dribbling ability to scare the life out of defenders.
The Portuguese international was expected to translate such performances across to Stamford Bridge but has had to battle with the likes of Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho for a spot in the starting lineup.
Sadly, he’s perhaps not endeared himself to the Chelsea faithful as much as he would have liked, resulting in complaints from the fanbase.
Chelsea fans think Pedro Neto is a flop
Neto has made 22 Premier League appearances since completing his move to West London but only returned two goals and two assists.
For someone who cost £54m, Chelsea fans expected better from him and on Friday night, some sections of the fanbase directed criticism towards the winger during their 3-0 defeat to Brighton.
“Let’s be honest… Neto has been an absolute waste of 60m quid… what a flop,” one fan wrote.
“We can all agree that Pedro Neto is a flop ..what is he really good at other than sprinting?,” another questioned while someone else replied: “Tyrique George has done more in 5 mins than Sancho and Neto have done the whole game.”
“Both our wingers, Neto & Sancho, can’t beat a soul, let alone a defender,” a fifth commented while another fan questioned: “Is Neto worse than Mudryk?”
“Neto is the new Sterling. Dribbles into the man in front of him and blazes shots 30 feet over the goal,” a seventh wrote.
| Pedro Neto’s stats vs Brighton |
| 65 minutes played |
| 0 crosses |
| 2/8 ground duels won |
| 1/6 successful dribbles |
| 13 times possession lost |
As shown by the above table, criticism from the Chelsea supporters was justified as 19-year-old Tyrique George replaced Neto and was far more impactful.
Jamie Carragher wanted Neto to sign for Liverpool
Almost every single top club in the Premier League wanted to sign Neto at some point, although after watching him for Chelsea, perhaps they now feel they dodged a bullet.
Pundit Jamie Carragher was a huge fan of Neto at Wolves, and he wanted his former club Liverpool to sign him.
“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’,” he said on Monday Night Football in August 2024.
“I just look at him, the pace and the quality on the ball, he scores goals, and I just hope he stays fit.
Carragher also predicted him to become a ‘special talent’ at Chelsea and claimed he’s one of the top players in the Premier League.
“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,” he said.
Neto hasn’t justified the above comments so far as he continues his struggles at Chelsea. However, he’s someone Wolves fans would take back in a heartbeat.