'Arsenal should've signed €60m Chelsea star this summer' - Walcott

Cameron Smith

11 Nov 2024 11:15 GMT
3 min read

Theo Walcott believes Arsenal should’ve beaten Chelsea in the race to sign Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer.

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Neto joined Chelsea for €60 million in August and he bagged his first Premier League goal for the club to earn Enzo Maresca’s side a point against the Gunners on Sunday.

The Portuguese international had been linked with Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur before his summer move to Stamford Bridge, and Walcott insists the 24-year-old would’ve been the perfect addition for his former side.

READ MORE: Arsenal's 'MISSING LINK' revealed

The ex-Arsenal winger told Match of the Day 2: “When we talk about Neto - he’s the sort of player who Arsenal maybe could have signed to have given that competition to other players. That’s kind of what they need right now, to provide that competition.”

Neto now has three goals and three assists in his last nine Chelsea appearances across all competitions as he begins to find his feet in west London.

Despite failing to sign Neto, Arsenal were heavily linked with a number of wide forwards during the most recent summer transfer window, including Athletic Club star Nico Williams, but they were only able to finalise a deal to sign Raheem Sterling on loan from Chelsea.

The 29-year-old has amassed just 123 minutes of Premier League action so far this term and he was ineligible to play against his parent club on Sunday afternoon.

Pedro Neto on Arsenal draw

After his first Premier League goal for Chelsea, Neto admitted: “I’m really pleased to help the team. This is a group that works really hard every day, so to help the team makes me really happy.

“It’s really special [to score in a London derby]. I hope to continue this consistency.

Current ETV

Pedro Neto

F (CR)

Chelsea

Pedro Neto

F (CR)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€32M - €53.3M

“I remember Enzo [Fernandez] received the ball, he looked at me straight away and I knew what he wanted me to do. I took a touch and I shot right away, and I’m really happy to see it hit the net.”

He added: “In the end we wanted to win but we had hard work in front us. We know they are a good team but we came to the game to win it.

“Of course, we are not as happy as we wanted to be, but we don’t want to lose as well so it’s a good point against a tough team.”