Name; Pedro Neto
League; Premier League
Position; LW/RW
Preferred Foot; Left
D.O.B; 09/03/2000
Height; 5’7
Jersey; #7
Strengths; Dribbling ability, speed, crossing, flair, link up play, an eye for a distance shot and a strong respectably filled out frame for his age.
Weaknesses; Decision making, discipline, and anything to do with defending.
Pedro Neto is a Portuguese winger currently enjoying his break out year as a prospect. The 20 year old former Braga and Lazio winger has made the jump from being a rotational forward to being a mainstay in the starting XI for Wolves this season. The young winger has carved out a role for himself under coach Nuno Espírito Santo by being a reliable source of creativity and flair in such a defensive set up.
The Numbers On Pedro Neto;
THE FLOOR OF PEDRO NETO;
Pedro Neto’s floor is impressively high, Neto as a 20 year old has already become a consistent starter/contributor in the Premier League. If Neto was never to improve he would still be able to bounce around mid table Premier League sides and be one of their top contributors, Neto would also fit in well as a rotation player at a top 6 Premier League side. Neto’s current xG and xA per 90 trend should see him finish the season with close to 10 goals and close to 10 assists, very well rounded and expected production from a Premier League starting winger. Neto charts as one of Wolves most productive players due to a strong foundational inside-outside winger game.
He excels at cutting in but if pushed to the touchline will still be able to affect the game with his speed, crossing and dribbling ability. Neto projects as a complete winger who is currently playing on the wrong side of the field.
The Creative Numbers Of Pedro Neto;
In the above chart we can see Neto is already gaining vital reps as lead creator of a side, the 20 year old luckily has the more experienced Adama Traore to help shoulder the creative burden. Projecting this into the future it’s already reasonable to expect Neto to mirror other creative cut in forwards such as Lorenzo Insigne, Frank Ribery and Eden Hazard as an elite teams creative option B or C. Where Neto will struggle to fully mirror other elite creative cut in forwards is if he can somehow become an elite teams scoring option B or C.
The Shooting Numbers Of Pedro Neto;
Neto’s ceiling has been a frequent talking point among the Wolves faithful. Some see him as potentially one of the world’s best wingers while others believe his lack of finishing will hold him back and keep him as only a contributor on some great teams and not the lead face. I believe in the later. In the above chart you can see Pedro Neto is wolves 5th or 6th scoring option. That’s not good enough, he is getting shots but as the xG per 90 shows they are not that high quality. For Neto to become world class without being a strong finisher(less than 10 goals a season on the regular) he will have to become a KDB/ Fabregas level creator who the team plays through. That is a lot to ask of anyone and even the Belgium international can seem tired, frustrated and jaded due to the immense pressure of carrying an elite clubs entire offensive burden. Pedro Neto (who is left footed) needs to move to other wing and begin specializing as a creative cut in forward who can still do damage on the outside e.g. Eden Hazard.
In Conclusion;
Pedro Neto has all the tools to end up as a complete winger. He projects to be a better creator than scorer but should still end up as a respectable scoring threat due to his eye for a good long range goal. The next step in his development is to shift wings and improve his finishing. Apart from his struggles infront of goal Pedro Neto projects to be a complete winger.
Floor; Pedro Neto.
Probable Ceiling; A less explosive Nani.
Absurd Ceiling; If he can get his finishing right the opposite wing Eden Hazard.
Mab Sidam Analysis 