Neil Jones has described Liverpool-linked Pedro Neto as ‘one to watch’ in the transfer market for 2024, with the Wolves attacker having ‘admirers at Anfield’.
As per Steve Kay on Wednesday, the Reds are interested in signing the 23-year-old off the back of an eye-catching start to the Premier League season.
In the Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, Jones claimed that the Portugal forward could be a good fit for Jurgen Klopp’s team, especially if the rumours of a Saudi Arabian move for Mo Salah persist, although the journalist had his reservations over the player’s scoring output.
He wrote: “I know that Neto has admirers at Anfield, and that his versatility and skillset would be well-suited to a Jurgen Klopp side. But then the same could be said, I believe, for a Mikel Arteta side or a Pep Guardiola side. I believe he is of that level, potentially.”
Jones later added: “The first aim for him, though, must be to stay fit and to turn this purple patch into something more sustainable.
“He still needs to improve his numbers, particularly in terms of goal-scoring, if he is to put himself in that top bracket of attackers. But he is making waves at Wolves right now, and if he continues to do so then we can expect him to move on to bigger and better things next season.
“With reasons to think that the Mohamed Salah to Saudi Arabia stories might not be going away in 2024, Neto could definitely be one to watch.”
Neto already has six goal contributions in eight Premier League games so far this season, although five of those are assists, with the 23-year-old netting only once (Transfermarkt).
Indeed, Jones’ point about the Wolves attacker’s scoring output is a fair one, with the Portugal international boasting just 12 goals in 119 appearances for his current club. Even allowing for him suffering two serious injuries (Transfermarkt), that’s still a less than mind-blowing return.
However, it’s not for nothing that he’s been valued at £50m by the Molineux outfit (Birmingham Live), while he looked superb when he came up against Liverpool last month, giving Joe Gomez in particular a torrid time on the flank.
In addition to playing in either wing, Neto can also be deployed at centre-forward and in the number 10 role (Transfermarkt), giving his coaches plenty of scope as to how best to utilise him.
He’s in red-hot form and his creative ability is undoubted. If he can add more goals to his game, he could certainly be worth considering, especially if the Anfield hierarchy were to give into the ongoing Saudi overtures for Salah next year.