Maresca makes damning admission on Chelsea's transfers with Sancho praise

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 Sept 2024 15:26 BST
• 4 min read

Enzo Maresca has hinted that Pedro Neto might have been something of a pointless signing by Chelsea.

The Blues recruited heavily once more in the summer, bringing in a double-digit number of new players, with many joining the offensive ranks at Stamford Bridge.

Given the sheer volume of transfers, questions have been raised about the club's recruitment, which has been wild, to say the least, since the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital takeover in 2022.

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Out on the wings, Pedro Neto was added primarily to act as an upgrade on Mykhailo Mudryk on the left wing despite the fact that he is more comfortable on the right due to being left-footed.

This fact was obvious against Bournemouth on Saturday when the former Wolves man struggled to impact the game before being hooked by coach Enzo Maresca at half-time.

Sancho the solution

Neto was replaced by Deadline Day arrival Jadon Sancho, who joined on an initial loan from Man Utd and enjoyed a veritable dream debut, making an instant impact and assisting Christopher Nkunku's late winner.

Maresca praised the 24-year-old after the game and came out with some illuminating comments on the club's wide options. “When we brought Jadon in, the reason was because we were looking for another winger like Noni [Madueke],” the Italian explained.

“Noni’s doing it on the right side, winning one-vs-ones, creating chances, scoring goals. We were looking for the same on our left side.” This, of course, casts doubt on whether the likes of Neto (€63 million) and Mudryk (€70 million) will have major roles to play under Maresca.

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Mudryk has been nothing short of a huge flop for Chelsea so far, but if Neto can't do what Maresca asks of him, it is (another) damning indictment of the Blues' recruitment.

To be sure, the signing of Sancho was a late opportunity that they felt was too good to pass up and something of an impromptu decision after Neto's arrival. But it is eyebrow-raising that the former England international - signed at the 11th hour on loan - seems more suited to Maresca's style than Neto.

The latter's €63m deal was one Chelsea had, according to some reports, been working on in complete secrecy for almost two months. Yet if he can't perform on the left, where will he fit in? He certainly won't replace Madueke on current form.

In Madueke on the right and Sancho on the left, Chelsea may have finally found an elite pair of wingers. Neto will undoubtedly get his games as a deputy on either flank, with the Blues set for an unprecedented season in terms of length due to the revamped Club World Cup.

However, the fact that the coach has already admitted that this big-money signing is struggling with the role he was originally brought in for does not reflect well on Chelsea's recruitment.