It looks set to be an interesting summer for Chelsea after another trophyless domestic season at Stamford Bridge, this time with Enzo Maresca in the dugout.
The Blues decided to part ways with Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the 2023/24 campaign and brought the Italian in to replace him, but the Conference League is the club’s last chance to land a trophy this term.
Chelsea may want to make further changes to their playing squad to build a team that can compete for the Premier League title, or at least the League Cup and the FA Cup.
One player whose future is currently up in the air ahead of the summer transfer window is Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho, who the club have a £25m obligation to buy.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein has revealed that the Blues will have to pay the Red Devils a fee of £5m to opt out of that obligation, and it remains to be seen whether they will do that or pay the £25m to sign him permanently.
Why Chelsea have a big problem with Jadon Sancho
Chelsea and Maresca have a big problem with this Sancho dilemma because there are pros and cons to either keeping him at Stamford Bridge or paying £5m to send him back to Old Trafford.
On the one hand, £25m to sign an England international who turns 25 this week seems like good business with fairly low risk, given the nature of the fee and the time he has on his side to contribute over several seasons.
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On the other hand, Sancho’s performances on the pitch across all competitions for the Blues this season have been a cause for concern, as the winger has only produced two goals and five assists in 29 matches.
This shows that the £100k-per-week forward has failed to make much of an impact at the top end of the pitch from a wide position for Maresca’s side, which is why there may be reticence to splash out £25m to sign him permanently.
Moments like the goal above have been few and far between and Chelsea may feel that they could find better value for money elsewhere in the domestic market, as they once did with the signing of Damien Duff from Blackburn Rovers.
How much Chelsea paid to sign Damien Duff
Back in the summer of 2003, Roman Abramovich splashed the cash to bolster the squad to compete for major honours, and one of the first signings of his era in charge of the club was Duff.
The Blues reportedly paid a fee of £17m to sign the Blackburn Rovers star after he had scored nine goals and provided one assist in 26 matches in the Premier League during the previous season.
His first season at Stamford Bridge ended with a solid return of six goals and 13 assists in 37 appearances in all competitions, as he showcased his ability to score and assist goals from a wide position.
The left-footed star followed that up with ten goals and 13 assists in 48 games in the 2004/05 campaign, including six assists in ten
Champions League outings, and helped Chelsea to win the Premier League title for the first time.
His form dipped in his last season at Stamford Bridge, with just three goals and four assists in all competitions, but he contributed to another top-flight title.
Overall, Duff turned out to be excellent value for money for the Blues, with his goals and assists in his first two seasons, as a domestic signing, and Maresca may have unearthed the club’s next version of him with Pedro Neto.
Why Pedro Neto is Chelsea's new Damien Duff
Unlike Sancho, Neto is similar to Duff in the sense that he is also a left-footed winger who wants to run at opposition players and take them on to make things happen for his side – an exciting player to watch.
Speaking about the Portugal international earlier this season, pundit Troy Deeney said: “Pace scares people. Coming in off that left foot, he can shoot or he can cross, but he’s also got that raw speed which is going to back defenders off.”
One of the great things about Neto is the simplicity of his game. He does not need to do fancy tricks and flicks to get by players, instead looking to just drive with his ball control and speed to put defenders on the back foot – just as Duff did during his time at Stamford Bridge.
As you can see in the clip above, the former Wolves and Lazio man took a touch out of his feet and smashed the ball into the bottom corner, rather than trying to overcomplicate it with more touches or by trying to find a top corner.
Chelsea reportedly paid £54m to sign the forward from Wolves last summer and he has shown more moments of quality than Sancho has this season, with five goals and six assists in 34 matches in all competitions.
Starts
16
xG
2.05
Goals
3
Key passes
31
Big chances created
6
Assists
4
Dribbles completed
23
As you can see in the table above, Neto created 31 chances in just 16 starts and provided four assists from a wide position, which shows that he can offer a big creative outlet on the flank.
However, an accumulation of 2.05 xG in 16 starts as a forward suggests that Maresca needs to find a way to get the winger into better goalscoring positions, to make the most of his finishing quality.
Only Enzo Fernandez (ten) and Cole Palmer (19) have created more ‘big chances’ for Chelsea in the Premier League, though, so there is not much that needs to change from his performances in that sense.
If the manager can get Neto to add more goals to his game to go along with his creative brilliance then the Blues could have another Damien Duff on their hands, as the Portuguese starlet already shares so many similarities with the Irishman.
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Like Duff, Neto is a left-footed winger who wants to beat players with pace and dribbling, rather than using fancy skills, and is a player who can consistently create high-quality chances for his teammates to find the back of the net.
