Why Wolves should retain Pedro Neto amid Juventus links
According to claims from Italian outlet Tuttosport (h/t Daily Mail), champions Juventus have been credited with an interest in Wolves winger Pedro Neto. As per the report, the reigning Serie A champions have entered into negotiations with the Black County outfit over a potential deal for the highly-rated youngster.
Profile
A youth exponent of Braga, Pedro Neto made only 3 first-team appearances for his boyhood club before being loaned out to Lazio in 2017 for two years, with the Italian outfit having an obligation to buy the starlet.
Neto made only 5 senior appearances for Lazio during the 2018-19 season but that was enough for Wolves to pay a handsome £16million to acquire his services in the summer of 2019.
The Portuguese starlet went on to enjoy an impressive debut season at Molineux despite finding himself restricted to a bit-part role. Neto amassed 5 goals and 5 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions as Wolves finished 7th in the Premier League and also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League.
Neto has benefitted from the big-money sale of Diogo Jota to Liverpool in the summer, establishing himself as a regular starter this season. The 20-year-old has started each of Wolves’ 8 league fixtures so far, contributing with a goal and 2 assists, including two man-of-the-match performances in victories over Fulham and Crystal Palace.
The versatile youngster represented Portugal across various levels between U-17 and U-21 before enjoying a goalscoring senior international debut in the recent 7-0 rout of Andorra.
Neto seems to be a star in the making at Molineux
Pedro Neto is hardly the finished article at 20 but has already made significant strides in his development since moving to Wolves last summer. Nuno Espirito Santo deserves a large fraction of the credit for supervising his progress. Having gradually phased the youngster into the mix last term, the manager has unleashed him as a regular starter this season.
The 20-year-old has proven himself to be a utility asset to Wolves’ attack, featuring in a wide attacking role and also as a supporting striker behind Raul Jimenez. Neto’s importance to the club has undoubtedly increased following the departure of Diogo Jota in the summer.
Neto was recently rewarded with a new long-term deal until 2025 as a mark of his impressive progress at Wolves. The versatile attacker has grabbed his opportunities with both hands and now looks set to play an important role for the Midlands outfit in the years to come.
To put things into perspective, Wolves shouldn’t even explore the possibility of sanctioning a departure for Pedro Neto amidst interest from Juventus as they desperately need to keep hold of their prized assets to keep progressing in the right direction.
Read More
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Verdict
Neto is certainly worth a lot more than the £16million Wolves paid for his services last summer. His new long-term deal has further put the club in a strong negotiating position to fend off interest from potential suitors.
While selling the Portuguese starlet would surely see Wolves make a hefty profit, they shouldn’t relent to such a temptation as the youngster has already started to deliver on his potential.
Wolves have already put in a lot of hard word behind Neto’s development and cashing in on him now would simply be a step backwards. He still has his best years ahead of him and the PL outfit need to retain the recently-capped Portuguese international at all costs if they are to enjoy the fruits of his prime.
