Glen Johnson believes Chelsea winger Pedro Neto was the best signing of the summer.
Neto is no stranger to English football, having starred for Wolverhampton Wanderers from his arrival at the Molineaux Stadium in 2019 until the end of last season, before joining the Blues on a reported £51.3 million move to Stamford Bridge in August.
The 24-year-old Portugal international has since played in eight Premier League matches for Chelsea but is still awaiting his first league goal with the West London side, but Johnson believes big things are coming for Neto.
“He’s not looked the best so far, but I do believe that Pedro Neto was the best signing of the summer," Johnson told Betfred. "I’m looking forward to seeing him get into top gear.
"He has a huge reputation and was signed for a lot of money. We’ve already seen what he’s capable of doing when he was at Wolves, but now we need to wait and see if he can do it for a top team.”
Neto is competing with fellow Chelsea newcomer Jadon Sancho, among others, for playing time under Enzo Maresca, and replaced the former Manchester United man after halftime of the Blues' 2-1 loss at Liverpool last weekend. Johnson thinks Neto could replace Sancho as Maresca's preferred starter on the left wing if certain conditions are met.
“Neto’s a fantastic player and when he finds his form and gets some regular gametime, then of course he could occupy that position because there was a reason why Chelsea bought him for a lot of money," he said. "Sancho is a player that needs to be happy because nobody can question his ability, so it’s good to watch him bouncing back.
"He needs to be more consistent, but it’s a fantastic problem for Chelsea to have because having those two happy, in form and playing for the same spot means that the club is doing something right.”