Pedro Neto 20 G/A season just needs these things to click | OneFootball

Pedro Neto made his debut for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge yesterday, and while his team lost, it became clear what a hit he can be for his new side.

As always, it was the new signing that everyone wanted to see as the game moved into the second half. Chelsea have brought in 9 players this summer – but somehow none of them made the starting XI. That made Neto’s introduction even more exciting, and while he was guilty of a couple of rusty touches, that was only to be expected. His presence merely in the way he makes the opposition defend was felt right away.

Watching Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling attack down the left hand side in the last 18 months we’ve felt little confidence. Suddenly there was a threat when we carried the ball down that side, and he was agonisingly close to a debut goal when he got into the area to attack the far post.

If he keeps doing that he’ll pick up a lot of goals that most of our other attacking players are missing out on because they don’t gamble in situations like that.

Pedro Neto crosses the ball for Chelsea.

Neto’s big aims for the season

It’s all very dependent on his fitness and the team’s form, but if Neto can get up and running soon we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him hit ten goals this season. He could contribute a similar number of assists too. As often as he’s attacking the far side to the ball carrier, and will benefit from crosses from the likes of Malo Gusto and Reece James, he’ll also be fed the ball plenty in down the left with the chance to cut it back.

If Nicolas Jackson learns to stay onside, he could get 5 assists from Neto alone this year.