Chelsea sign winger Pedro Neto for £54m: Decoding his stats
Chelsea have completed the signing of winger Pedro Neto from fellow Premier League club Wolves. Portuguese star Neto joins the club on a six-year deal. He was on top of the list as a winger for new head coach Enzo Marseca. Neto has joined for £54m. Chelsea will pay an initial £51.4m plus £2.6m in add-ons. Neto brings more depth in Chelsea's attacking line.
Why does this story matter?
Neto had an excellent season for Wolves last season despite an injury-hit campaign which saw him miss three months of the season with two different hamstring problems. He has joined the likes of Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling as wide options ahead of the new season. With the system Marseca has, Neto with his one-on-one battles would be crucial.
A look at Neto's career
Neto started his senior career with Portuguese club Braga in 2016-17. Altogether he made three appearances across two seasons. Neto scored one goal. He was loaned to Lazio in 2018-19, making five appearances in total. Wolves signed him in the summer of 2019. He made 135 appearances across five seasons, scoring 14 times. Notably, injuries reduced him to 56 appearances in last three seasons.
Decoding his Premier League stats for Wolves
Neto made 111 appearances in the Premier League for Wolves. He scored 11 goals and made 19 assists. Nine of his goals came with the preferred left foot. Out of his 148 shots, 46 were on target. He smashed the woodwork five times. Neto created 28 big chances and missed 11. He also made 47 tackles, 52 interceptions and 14 clearances.
Neto's Premier League 2023-24 season in stats
In the Premier League 2023-24 season, Neto made 20 appearances, scoring twice (A9). As per Squawka comparison matrix (data by Opta), Neto clocked 28 shots (excluding blocks) with 12 of them on target. He hit the woodwork thrice. Neto created 38 chances and owned a pass accuracy of 83.36%. He completed 19 lay-offs and 37 take-ons. He had 88 touches in the opposition box.
10 caps for Portugal
Neto made his international debut for Portugal in 2020. Since then, he has clocked 10 appearances in total, scoring once. He made three appearances at the 2024 European Championship in Germany.
