Лондонгийн клуб тоглогчийнхоо зах зээлийн үнэлгээг өсгөсөн ч түүний статистик үзүүлэлт болон багийн шинэчилсэн тактикт гүйцэтгэх үүрэг нь эргэлзээ төрүүлж байна.
Челси Педру Нетуг 100 сая фунт стерлингээр үнэлж байгаа нь 2024 оны наймдугаар сард Вулверхэмптон-оос худалдан авсан 51.4 сая фунт стерлингийн үнээс бараг хоёр дахин өссөн үзүүлэлт юм. Энэхүү үнэлгээг зах зээл дэх бусад шилдэг жигүүрийн тоглогчдын үнийн өсөлттэй холбон тайлбарлаж байгаа ч Педру Нетугийн статистик үзүүлэлт элит тоглогчийн түвшинд хүрэхгүй байгааг шинжээчид онцолж байна. Тэрээр өнгөрсөн улиралд бүх тэмцээний хүрээнд 10 гоол, 10 оновчтой дамжуулалт гүйцэтгэсэн ч Премьер лигийн 34 тоглолтод ердөө 5 гоол, 6 оновчтой дамжуулалт хийсэн юм.
Дасгалжуулагч Хаби Алонсо бэлтгэлийн үеэр 3-4-2-1 тактикийн хувилбарыг туршиж байгаа нь Педру Нетугийн баг дахь байр сууринд нөлөөлж болзошгүй байна. Төвийн довтолгооны бүсэд тэрээр Жоао Педро, Коул Палмер, Морган Рожерс, Эстевао нарын ард эрэмбэлэгдэх магадлалтай байгаа юм. Гэсэн хэдий ч Ази, Австралийн аялан тоглолтын үеэр түүнийг баруун жигүүрийн хамгаалагчийн байрлалд туршсан нь шинэ боломж нээж магадгүй хэмээн үзэж байна.
Одоогоор Педру Нету сонирхол татаж байгаа ч Челси түүнийг идэвхтэй зарах бодолгүй байна. Тоглогчийн жинхэнэ үнэ цэнийг бусад клубийн санал болгох дүн тодорхойлох бөгөөд түүний ирээдүйн зах зээлийн үнэлгээ нь Алонсогийн тактикт хэрхэн дасан зохицохоос шууд хамаарна.
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Enzo Fernandez is not the only Chelsea player heading into the final stretch of this busy summer transfer window with a huge asking price above his head.
Chelsea’s valuation of Pedro Neto, reiterated in this week’s Transfer DealSheet, is around £100million ($136m), almost double the £51.4m they paid to sign him from Wolves in August 2024.
That price is informed by the fees commanded by other elite wingers this summer — namely the €125m plus €15m in potential add-ons committed by Real Madrid to acquire Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig, coupled with Paris Saint-Germain’s valuation of Bradley Barcola as significantly higher than the £116m Manchester City paid for Elliot Anderson.
The market has unquestionably inflated at the top end in this transfer window. But does Neto deserve to be put in the same value bracket as highly coveted wingers like Diomande or Barcola?
Pedro Neto was profiled as an elite winger when Chelsea signed him from Wolves (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Chelsea certainly profiled Neto as an elite winger when they signed him from Wolves two years ago, one capable of performing at a high level on the right or the left, or even as a false nine when required. Enzo Maresca deployed him in all three roles at different times during his tenure, and there have been stretches of Neto’s career at Stamford Bridge when he has been genuinely impactful.
His excellent rasping equaliser against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in November 2024 ultimately helped derail the Gunners’ hopes of winning the Premier League title in 2024-25, while his aded-time winner against Fulham at Craven Cottage in April of the same season reignited Chelsea’s fading Champions League qualification hopes. He then went on to score three goals in the club’s victorious FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
Last season, Neto registered 10 goals and 10 assists for Chelsea across all competitions, though just five goals and six assists came in his 34 Premier League appearances. Not insignificantly, he has also dispelled fears about his injury record at Wolves by playing 102 matches at club level in the last two seasons.
But it is hard to make a statistical case for Neto being an elite winger. As a dribbler, he boasts nowhere near the volume nor the efficiency of Diomande, while Barcola — who admittedly functions as more of an inside forward when he plays for PSG — carries far more goal threat:
In a broader comparison with wingers across Europe’s top five leagues, Neto comes out as an average dribbler whether on the left flank or, as he has most often been used at Chelsea, as a right winger:
This backs up the audible frustration with Neto that can at times be heard bubbling around Stamford Bridge whenever he either declines to run at a back-pedalling opponent or engages in a dizzying series of chops and feints from left to right foot and back again, searching to create meaningful separation from his defender for a cross or shot.
One category in which Neto does stand out is crossing. He delivers 6.4 crosses per game, compared to just 1.6 for Diomande and 1.3 for Barcola. This gap is reflective of different team roles and tactical instructions as much as their respective skill sets, but Neto has proven an accomplished and dangerous crosser at Chelsea — particularly his in-swinger from the right, which created an easy goal for Joao Pedro in a 3-0 pre-season victory over Milan earlier this month.
Overall, Neto’s statistical profile does fit well with a team that wants to dominate the ball. His progression metrics are almost all well above average, and his link-up play is good, though his final third impact in and out of possession leaves quite a bit to be desired:
Chelsea know that young players deemed to have elite potential command an increasingly chunky premium in the transfer market, not least because their recruitment strategy helped establish it. Top clubs can easily convince themselves that Diomande (19) or Barcola (23) could blossom into Ballon d’Or contenders in the coming years. Neto is not at that level now and, at 26 years old, is more likely to be viewed as at his peak.
It’s important to note here that Chelsea’s valuations of Fernandez (no less than £120million) and Neto are so high in part because they are highly valued first-team players at Stamford Bridge, and the club are not actively pushing to sell either of them. But with Neto in particular, there are additional dynamics at play.
Estevao is entering his second full season in England, and there is a high degree of confidence at Stamford Bridge that he can establish himself as a key starter sooner rather than later. Geovany Quenda has also arrived to learn and compete for minutes on both flanks. On the left there is the £117m ($160m) signing Morgan Rogers, as well as the fit-again Jamie Gittens.
Most significant of all, Alonso moved away from winger systems midway through pre-season, shifting from 4-2-3-1 to a variant of the 3-4-2-1 starting formation he deployed to great success at Bayer Leverkusen. If he sticks with it, that will be bad news for all of Chelsea’s attackers who cannot thrive in central areas.
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Pre-season indicated that Neto is very likely to be behind at least Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer, Rogers and Estevao for the central attacking spots, and perhaps Fernandez too if he stays. If his on-pitch role shrinks, so too will his market value next summer.
But the tour of Australia and Asia threw up another intriguing possibility: What if Neto becomes a marauding right wing-back? That is where Alonso appears to favour him in a 3-4-2-1, with summer signing Marco Palestra switched to the left.
It worked reasonably well, albeit at far less than Premier League intensity. Defensively, it is a little experimental, but Neto has shown the capability to track back diligently and his crossing can still cause problems. Whether he would buy into making such a switch permanently is unclear, but Antonio Conte’s inspired remoulding of Victor Moses in 2016-17 offers an encouraging precedent from recent Chelsea history.
In the meantime, Neto is attracting transfer interest. Whether he has interest at Chelsea’s asking price remains to be seen. Ultimately, a player’s true worth is determined by what another club is prepared to pay for them.
I he stays at Stamford Bridge, he can be helpful to Alonso, if not transformative.
