Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has made it clear that even though Pedro Neto is still a Wolves man, he will not stand in the way if the winger wishes to leave in the coming weeks.
O’Neil’s statement is a clear indication that Neto will be on his way out very soon and despite interest from several clubs, multiple reports are claiming that Arsenal and Tottenham are currently the two favourites to sign Pedro Neto.
The Wolves boss has recently said: “I know how good he is [Neto] and how well he would do at a big club, but I want our team here to be unbelievably successful and I’m hoping he stays. There’s nothing going on at this moment from anybody, he’s in a good spot and I’ve spoken to him about how we’re going to play, how it suits him and the big part he’ll play in it.
“But of course, it can change really quickly if a massive bid comes in from a top club, then no one will stand in Pedro’s way.
“It’s still my duty to him and everybody to make sure he’s ready to play for us. I’m confident that he will be here because we haven’t had anything that makes the club think he won’t be. But a lot of the business can be done late, even up to the last couple of hours, so until the window is closed there’s always a chance.”
Tottenham Hotspur have already made contact with Neto’s representatives over a possible summer transfer but according to the latest gossip, the 24-year-old prefers to join the Emirates outfit instead of playing for Ange Postecoglou next season.
TeamNewsandTix[as relayed by TBR], has been claiming: “I know Neto is on the list [for Arsenal]. He’s thought to be lower down,
“Tottenham are speaking to Wolves about him and I’ve spoken to a few people about this, it was someone from Tottenham who messaged me yesterday asking if I know what’s going on with Neto.
“I’ve spoke with someone from Wolves, my Wolves contact is quite good, and he was saying Neto is definitely leaving Wolves but he would prefer Arsenal and Wolves expect Neto to end up in London.”
Which club will Pedro Neto end up joining?
There’s every indication that Pedro Neto will not be a Wolves player by the time the next season kicks off and even though Wolves are demanding around €70 million for the winger, both Tottenham and Arsenal can very well pay such this much.
As per Fabrizio Romano, the winger is still on Postecoglou’s wishlist so there’s a chance that the Lillywhites will double their effort in the coming days.
“Pedro Neto remains a player really appreciated and very highly rated by Tottenham,” Romano told CaughtOffside.
“So, for sure, he is one of the players they’ve always had on the list. Let’s see if they will decide to accelerate, but I expect Tottenham to be busy starting from next week.”
Pedro Neto has been with Wolves since 2019 and to date, the right-winger has played 135 games for the club. The 24-year-old is primarily a right-winger, he can also play out on the left wing and as a centre-forward. Last season, he featured in 20 Premier League games and he had an xG and xA of 3.5 and 3.7 respectively.
Mikel Arteta would love to have a versatile player like him in his squad but as of now, the Wolves attacker is not a priority target for Arsenal. The club is currently focusing on strengthening their midfield and defensive areas. The Gunners boss does want to bring in a new world-class attacker but that will most likely be a long-term replacement for Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.
The fact that Arsenal are not expected to make any concrete moves right now, is a major plus for Tottenham who will be able to use this time to try and convince Pedro Neto to join them before deadline day.
Obviously, we can understand why Pedro Neto wants to join the Gunners, a team which finished second in the EPL table last season but at Arsenal, he will have to really sweat it out because they have Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli as their primary wide attackers. At Spurs, however, things will be a lot simpler minus Champions League football, of course.
