According to The Athletic, Chelsea values Pedro Neto at around £100 million, but there are still questions about whether his performance and positioning justify this price.

Enzo is not the only Chelsea player whose value has soared in the final stages of this busy summer transfer window.

In this week's Transfer DealSheet, Chelsea reiterated that they value Pedro Neto at around £100 million, nearly double the £51.4 million the club paid to sign him from Wolves in August 2024.

This valuation takes into account the transfer fees of other top wingers this summer. Real Madrid committed to paying €125 million, plus a potential €15 million in add-ons, to sign RB Leipzig winger Jan Diomande; Paris Saint-Germain's valuation of Barcola is significantly higher than the £116 million Manchester City paid for Elliott Anderson.

There is no doubt that the market price for top players has risen sharply in this transfer window. But should Neto really be in the same price range as popular wingers like Diomande and Barcola?

When Chelsea signed Neto from Wolves two years ago, they indeed viewed him as a top winger. He was capable of performing at a high level on both flanks and could also play as a false nine when needed. Enzo Maresca used Neto in all three positions at various stages during his tenure, and Neto had genuinely impactful periods at Stamford Bridge.

In November 2024, Neto scored a powerful equalizer against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, a goal that ultimately helped Chelsea disrupt Arsenal's plans for the 2024-25 Premier League title. In April of the same year, he scored a stoppage-time winner against Fulham at Craven Cottage, rekindling Chelsea's hopes of Champions League qualification. He then scored 3 goals in Chelsea's victorious Club World Cup campaign.

Last season, Neto made appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, contributing 10 goals and 10 assists. However, in 34 Premier League appearances, he only managed 5 goals and 6 assists. Notably, Neto's 102 appearances for the club in the past two seasons have also allayed concerns about his injury record during his time at Wolves.

However, based on statistics, it is difficult to prove that Neto is a top winger. As a dribbler, his number of dribbles and success rate are far below Diomande's; although Barcola plays more as an inverted forward at Paris Saint-Germain, his ability to create goal threats is much stronger.

If Neto is compared more broadly with wingers in Europe's top five leagues, his dribbling performance is only average, whether on the left wing or in the right-winger position most frequently used by Chelsea.

This also explains why there is sometimes obvious dissatisfaction with Neto at Stamford Bridge. This sentiment is often heard in the stands when he faces retreating defenses and does not choose to drive forward with the ball, or repeatedly performs dazzling feints and stepovers between his left and right feet, trying to evade defenders to cross or shoot.

Neto does excel at crossing. He averages 6.4 crosses per game, while Diomande and Barcola have only 1.6 and 1.3 respectively. This disparity reflects different responsibilities and tactical requirements for the three players, as well as their respective technical characteristics. However, Neto has proven to be an excellent and dangerous crosser for Chelsea, especially his inswinging crosses from the right. Earlier this month, in Chelsea's 3-0 pre-season victory over Milan, João Pedro easily converted one of Neto's crosses.

Overall, Neto's statistical profile is well-suited to a team that wants to control possession. Almost all his progression metrics are significantly above average, and his link-up play is also good, but his influence with and without the ball in the final third still has significant room for improvement.

Chelsea knows that young players considered to have top potential are commanding increasingly high premiums in the transfer market, and the club's own transfer strategy is one of the drivers of this trend. Top clubs can easily believe that 19-year-old Diomande or 23-year-old Barcola have the opportunity to develop into Ballon d'Or contenders in the coming years. Neto, now 26, has not reached that level and is more likely to be seen as being at the peak of his career.

It should be noted that Chelsea's valuation of Enzo at no less than £120 million, and Neto at such a high figure, is partly due to both being important first-team players at Stamford Bridge, and the club is not actively pushing to sell them. But with Neto, there are other factors to consider.

Estêvão is about to enter his second full season in England, and there is great confidence at Stamford Bridge that he will eventually become an important starter for the team. Giovani Kwanda has also joined and will be learning and competing for playing time on both wings. On the left, there is also Morgan Rogers, who joined for £117 million, approximately $160 million, and Gittens, who has returned from injury.

Most importantly, Alonso began to reduce his use of a winger system in the middle of pre-season, adjusting his initial formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a variant of the 3-4-2-1. This is the system he used with great success at Leverkusen. If he sticks to this adjustment, it will be bad news for Chelsea attackers who cannot operate centrally.

Pre-season showed that in the competition for central attacking positions, Neto is likely to be ranked at least behind João Pedro, Palmer, Rogers, and Estêvão. If Enzo stays, Neto might also be behind him. Once Neto's role on the field diminishes, his market value next summer will also decrease.

However, Chelsea's tour of Australia and Asia brought another interesting possibility: Could Neto become an attacking right wing-back? In the 3-4-2-1 formation, Alonso seems to prefer Neto in this position, while moving summer signing Palomino to the left.

This arrangement has worked quite well, although the intensity of the matches is far below the Premier League. Neto is still somewhat experimental defensively, but he has shown the ability to track back diligently, and his crosses continue to be dangerous. It is unclear whether he is willing to make this position change permanently, but Chelsea's successful transformation of Victor Moses into a wing-back in the 2016-17 season provides an encouraging precedent.

Meanwhile, Neto is attracting transfer interest. But it remains to be seen whether other clubs are willing to meet Chelsea's asking price for him. Ultimately, a player's true value depends on how much another club is willing to pay for him.

If Neto stays at Stamford Bridge, he can help Alonso, but not necessarily bring decisive change.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com