The winds of change have blown for Liverpool this year, with Arne Slot's budding project seemingly heading in the right direction. Pre-season results must be taken with a pinch of salt but the smoothness of the Dutchman's style's inculcation is promising to say the least.
Having defeated Arsenal 2-1 in an entertaining friendly in Philadelphia, the Reds are starting to prove their ball-playing faculty, and while fans hope to see some activity this summer in the centre of the park, signing a build-up specialist to orchestrate from the base of the midfield and offer competition to Wataru Endo, treatment is needed elsewhere.
Central defence has long been considered an area in need of revamping at Anfield, especially after Joel Matip's contract expired in June, but Jarell Quansah's emergence has eased the need for immediate investment.
The attacking flanks are similarly in need of some added firepower, especially as the lionised Mohamed Salah steps into his final year, and since sporting director Richard Hughes suggested Liverpool could see a "crescendo" in August, FSG seem set to accelerate their interest in the coming weeks.
Liverpool ready to pounce
As per Football Transfers, Liverpool are among the top Premier League clubs interested in signing Pedro Neto this summer, though Tottenham Hotspur currently have the lead in the race.
Title favourites Arsenal and Manchester City are also interested in signing the 24-year-old, who has suffered his share of injury problems in recent years but remains one of the most coveted wingers in English football.
Valued at £60m by Wolverhampton Wanderers, it's generally accepted at Molineux that the Portuguese winger will be sold this summer, and given he is highly effective across both flanks, he could be the perfect addition to a Liverpool side stepping back into the Champions League and indeed a new era.
Why Liverpool could sign Pedro Neto
Neto has been a prominent figure in the Premier League for a number of years now, having signed for Wolves from Serie A side Lazio in an £8m double swoop with Bruno Jordao back in 2019.
He was only 19. Now, a fully-fledged sensation, Neto has established himself as one of Wolves' most talented players in modern history, described as an "incredibly talented and physically very gifted player" by boss Gary O'Neil at the start of the 2023/24 season.
Injuries might have been his enemy but Neto succeeded in levelling up to an elite-level quality last term, notching three goals and 11 assists across 24 fixtures in all competitions, albeit missing two large portions with hamstring injuries.
2023/24
20
18
2
9
2022/23
18
13
0
0
2021/22
13
5
1
1
2020/21
31
30
5
6
2019/20
29
9
3
3
Slot, like Jurgen Klopp, implements an intense style of football that is birthed from high-octane training sessions, though, unlike his predecessor, the 46-year-old has an exemplary fitness record across his past two clubs: Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.
Neto, moreover, has a lot of experience on the right flank, with his left-footed preference allowing him to drift inside and wreak havoc, evidenced by his ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League last season for assists and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.
The Portugal international would be a dynamic and versatile option for a healthy attacking fold on Merseyside, and while supporters crave the signing of Anthony Gordon, this might actually be the one to go for.
How Pedro Neto compares to Anthony Gordon
Hailed as a "pace monster" by analyst Ben Mattinson, Neto would add a dimension to Slot's wide play and enhance the overall fluency of a Liverpool side that is already tantalising a successful season.
Gordon was deservedly crowned Newcastle's Player of the Year for 2023/24 after his prolific campaign, scoring 12 goals and supplying 11 assists across all competitions and being praised for taking "it up a level" by pundit Jamie Carragher.
The former Everton player has also hit a career goal contribution rate of 0.28 while on the right, as opposed to 0.40 on the left, so he wouldn't be able to sort out Liverpool's Salah conundrum with the same success as the protean-performing Neto.
Given that Liverpool already yield one of the Premier League's finest left-wingers in Luis Diaz, who has been linked with a move away this summer but seems unlikely to be going anywhere, with no contact pointed Liverpool's way.
And as a further point, while Gordon offered far greater striking output than the Old Gold phenom last season, the underlying numbers suggest that Neto could offer more to the Liverpool first team.
Matches played
20
35
Matches started
18
34
Goals
2
11
Assists
9
10
Big chances created
7
16
Pass completion
83%
82%
Shots per game
1.8
2.3
Key passes per game
1.9
1.6
Dribbles per game
1.9
1.5
Ball recoveries per game
4.0
3.6
Duels won per game
3.5
5.3
As you can see from the table above, Neto is a more creative and more progressive player than Gordon, at least, he performed as such last term. His goalscoring wasn't at the same standard but he also played in a goal-shy Wolves team, tasked as the architect of the playmaking.
And a move to Slot's Liverpool could alter that considerably, for the Anfield outfit created more big chances in the Premier League last year than any of their rivals (with 102).
Wolves, conversely, ranked 16th (with 54), making a telling comment on the importance of Neto's creative input. Newcastle, as an addendum, ranked joint-second with 97 big chances created – one can only imagine the chaos Neto would have wreaked if placed in either of the northern sides.
Liverpool must sign Neto this summer; that is by no means meant to discredit Gordon's exciting skillset, but the Portuguese, when fit and firing, is a force to be reckoned with and would make a marked improvement on the Reds.
Liverpool's 8/10 talent who sank Arsenal can make Slot forget about Gordon
There have been some promising pre-season signs over the pond from Slot’s Reds…
1 ByAngus Sinclair Aug 1, 2024