August 17th 2024.
Paul Merson, a former Arsenal player, recently expressed his admiration for one of Chelsea's newest additions in the summer transfer market. Merson has concerns that Arsenal may have missed out on a great opportunity by not securing the signing of Portuguese forward Pedro Neto, who he claims is a formidable player when he's at his best.
Chelsea has been making headlines with their extravagant spending, and Neto's acquisition for a whopping £54 million from Wolves last week only adds to their impressive list of signings. The 24-year-old spent five seasons with Wolves, where he made a significant impact and became one of the team's key players, despite facing some injury setbacks.
It is worth noting that Neto was a long-term target for Arsenal, making it a surprise that Chelsea was able to secure his signature without much competition. Reports suggest that Arsenal's manager, Mikel Arteta, was hesitant to pursue the signing due to Neto's history of injuries. However, Merson believes this could potentially be a decision that Arsenal may regret in the future.
Merson shared his thoughts on Neto's signing on Sky Sports, stating, "If Chelsea can keep him fit, I think it is an incredible signing. If you want to play a certain style of football, similar to Man City and Arsenal, where they have two wide players and get the ball out, this is exactly what Chelsea needs to do."
He went on to add, "If you can get Neto on the pitch, he is top-notch. I think Arsenal missed out on a great opportunity with him. If he had joined Arsenal, he could have taken some of the workload off players like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli."
However, not everyone is convinced about Neto's signing, with former Manchester United player Roy Keane expressing his doubts. When asked about Neto's move on The Overlap with Sky Bet, Keane replied, "No! He's always injured! F*** sake. He's like Luke Shaw. He'll add to the chaos. He'll run everywhere and then spend six months on the treatment table with a hamstring injury."
Despite Keane's reservations, Chelsea's quick and discreet approach in securing Neto's signature has been praised by Merson, who believes it was a very shrewd move by the club. He added, "Chelsea did it very quickly and very quietly. It's a good signing."
Only time will tell if Neto's injury record proves to be a risk or if he will thrive at Chelsea, but one thing is for sure, Arsenal may have missed out on a fantastic player.
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