Wolves are closing in on the signing of Celta Vigo star Fer Lopez, and the Spaniard shares one striking similarity to former Molineux hero Pedro Neto.
It emerged last week that Wolves were in talks to sign Fer Lopez from Celta Vigo, and since then, a move has quickly accelerated.
Jorgen Strand Larsen was spotted hanging out with Lopez, his former teammate at Celta, with a transfer now edging ever closer to being finalised.
Wolves are going to triple Lopez’s wages as a bargaining chip to get a deal over the line, with the 21-year-old set to become Vitor Pereira’s first signing of the summer transfer window.
Fer Lopez’s ball carrying is similar to Pedro Neto’s
Once it emerged that the young forward was going to cost £17 million, Wolves fans issued their concerns about Lopez, as he’s only played 20 matches at senior level.
The Spaniard experienced his breakthrough into the first team in 2024/25 and notched four strikes in all competitions as he displayed calmness in front of goal.
Although it wasn’t just his ball striking that caught the eye, with some of his strikes coming from range, as his strong ball-carrying and incredible dribbling skills were similar to Pedro Neto’s.
During an exceptional five years at Molineux before leaving last summer, Neto frightened the life out of defenders with his searing pace and ability to glide past his markers on the counterattack.
As a left-footed, right winger, Lopez also displayed strong ball-carrying in La Liga, committing defenders at speed with the ball glued to his feet.
According to FBref, Lopez ranked in the top 13% of wingers across Europe for successful take-ons per 90 (2.41) and the top 21% for carries into the final third (2.68).
The above statistics offer hope that the Spaniard can produce the magic that Neto created at Wolves, while becoming an instant hit.
Dave Edwards has already compared Lopez to Neto
Wolves fans should be excited about the prospect of Lopez dazzling against Premier League defences, and former midfielder Dave Edwards has already compared him to Neto.
Edwards thinks he can come into England’s top flight and ‘surprise’ everyone, just like their former Portuguese superstar did six years ago.
“He definitely has the physicality to play at that level and if he starts the season well and impresses the manager, you never know, he could be the next Pedro Neto,” he wrote in his E&S column.
“They’re very different players, but when Neto came in no-one really expected him to become such an important player as quickly as he did and hopefully Fer Lopez can be the next one to surprise everyone.”
If Lopez can turn into half the player Neto was, they will have an incredible talent on their hands.