Wolves v Chelsea preview: Pedro Neto back days after farewell
So soon after departing, Wolves will take on a familiar face on Sunday.
Just two weeks after making a switch to Chelsea in a deal worth up to £54million, Pedro Neto returns to Molineux in a blue shirt.
The fans’ favourite gave a tearful goodbye when he left Compton for the last time, in a move that should make him Wolves’ record sale.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has revealed Neto is unlikely to start on Sunday, but when he is introduced the Portuguese international will provide a stern test for his former team-mates.
“I think he is one of the best out and out wide players in world football,” head coach Gary O’Neil said.
“What he can do one-v-one, his explosive pace, what he can do when he arrives there, it allows him to do things not many players can do.
“It was an emotional goodbye. He loved it here – his time before I was here and how well it went for him last season on the pitch. He had his injuries, yes, but the bond we had and that he had with the group, what he did for the team last year and how much the fans loved him.
“I know he would have loved to have stayed. Of course Wolves is a big club in itself – but he felt going to Chelsea and maybe trying to challenge for titles and the Champions League, it was the right time for him.
“It was an emotional day when he left as he was leaving a lot of people he loved working with and memories behind.
“We know a lot about him and he will be difficult to stop for anybody. We don’t even know if he will play as Chelsea have a lot of talent available to them.
“I thought the next move was really important for him. Obviously you never know, hindsight will be a fantastic way of telling whether it was a good move or not but he has what it takes.
“He has a real confidence in himself and backs himself. He has what it takes and is hard working and honest. I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t be hugely successful for him – I just hope he has to wait another week to start for it to look that way.”
Neto has joined a team in Chelsea that have been getting headlines for the wrong reason of late.
The London club have a hugely inflated squad and are in the process of offloading some senior stars – with Neto taking the number seven shirt off outbound winger Raheem Sterling.
Despite that, O’Neil is aware of the danger they pose.
“You can see Chelsea are still in a transition, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be successful and the amount of talent they have, and they have a top coach, they have every right and chance of finishing very high up the league,” O’Neil added.
“It’s not easy but Enzo is working at one of the biggest clubs in the world. They have won the Champions League and the title. There are a lot of upsides to being manager of Chelsea.”
Wolves are expected to go into Sunday’s game at Molineux with no injury concerns and a clean bill of health.
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