Why Wolves wing-wizard Pedro Neto will top transfer wishlists in 2024
Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of four teams in Premier League action on Thursday night, just a few hours before the January transfer window closes for business. It is possible, if highly improbable, that a Wolves or Manchester United player could be sold to another club while he is taking his post-game shower at Molineux.
If there is to be a last-gasp departure from the Black Country in the final days of the mid-season market, it is most likely to involve Pedro Neto. The Portugal international is fit again after a hamstring injury that kept him out for three months. Arsenal are known to be keen and Neto no doubt has admirers elsewhere too.
Yet while a summer move is a distinct possibility, the 23-year-old will surely remain with Wolves until the end of the campaign. Arsenal, for one, do not have access to the sort of money that would be required to prise Neto away from his current employers this month. And Gary O’Neil would be loath to lose such a key player at this late stage of the window.
Wolves fans will thus be excited rather than fearful about what Thursday holds for Neto. Manchester United, for their part, will be wary.
Before suffering a hamstring injury against Newcastle United in October, the Portuguese was flying. He registered seven assists in his first 10 appearances to make him the most productive creator in the league. Despite being sidelined for a large chunk of the campaign, Neto is still joint-second in the assist chart; only Mohamed Salah and Ollie Watkins (both 8) have set up more goals.
His average of 2.6 key passes per 90 also stacks up well. Of those who have played at least 900 top-flight minutes in 2023/24, only Pascal Gross (3), Trent Alexander-Arnold (2.9), Kieran Trippier (2.9), Bukayo Saka (2.8) and Bruno Fernandes (2.8) outperform Neto in that regard.
Neto is particularly dangerous in transition, which makes him an ideal fit for this Wolves team. Despite losing 1-0 at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the campaign, O’Neil’s men frequently tore through Manchester United on the counter-attack thanks to the ball-carrying ability of Neto, Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha.
Hwang Hee-chan, Wolves’ leading scorer, also excels in that area, but it is Cunha (2.2) and Neto (1.9) that rank in the Premier League’s top 10 for successful dribbles per 90 among those with at least 900 minutes under their belt.
Neto struggled with injuries in the early part of his career. A serious knee issue kept him out for almost a year, before a troublesome ankle interrupted his progress last season.
After such long periods on the treatment table, many Wolves fans worried whether Neto would have the same explosiveness on his return. Those fears have been put to bed by his performances this season.
Neto has never relied purely on his pace and acceleration: his quick feet and close control also contribute to the danger he poses to opposition backlines. But his speed across the ground has always been one of Neto’s best attributes and it is a relief that his injury problems have not taken that away.
"I didn’t see Pedro up close last season and he’s suffered some injuries, but the upturn in his performances this season has been because he’s fully committed to the work that we’re doing, he’s fully committed to how we’re going to play and fully committed to how it’s going to benefit him," O’Neil said of the forward earlier in the campaign.
"He’s attacked every training session with 100% commitment and you’re starting to see the benefits. He will be hugely important for us, he’s a fantastic player, hugely talented and he’s working extremely hard without the ball as well as bringing big quality with it, so I’m really pleased with Pedro."
After scoring in the 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup on Sunday, Neto now has his sights set on Manchester United. Arsenal and his other suitors will be watching closely.
