Dream Neto replacement: Wolves target "dangerous" £190k-p/w sensation
da fazobetai： Wolverhampton Wanderers have had a busy transfer window, with some interesting incomings and significant outgoings from Molineux. This summer, the goal has been to modify the squad so that Gary O’Neil and his side can take on the challenge of improving last season’s 14th-place finish, a campaign in which they got 46 points and came 20 points clear of relegation.
da lvbet： In terms of the Midlands club’s two major sales this summer, the first was a deal that saw them lose club captain Max Kilman to West Ham United for £40m. It was a move that saw him reunite with former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui. The other significant sale saw star winger Pedro Neto join Chelsea for a sizeable fee of £54m, after five years at the club.
That money has been reinvested into youngsters Rodrigo Gomes from Portuguese side Braga, and Brazilian fullback Pedro Lima. Tommy Doyle also saw his loan from Manchester City turn into a permanent deal, and Jorgen Strand Larsen signed for the club from Spanish outfit Celta Vigo on loan with a chance for the move to become permanent.
However, with just under a week left of the window, the Molineux side might not yet be done with their summer incomings and could look to add further attacking firepower to the squad.
Wolves target Saudi Pro League winger
The player in question here is Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad and Portuguese winger Jota. The 25-year-old has struggled to settle since his move to the Middle East last summer and could depart the club for a fresh challenge.
According to a report from French news outlet L’Equipe, the Midlands club are thought to be one of the clubs interested in signing the former Celtic star this summer. This comes after the rumours surrounding the former Portugal under-21 international's future in Saudi Arabia have once again intensified.
However, they will not be alone in their quest to sign the Al-Ittihad winger, with Portuguese giants Sporting CP looking to bring him back to his homeland, and French side Stade Rennais also believed to be showing an interest in the winger this summer.
At this stage, a price has not been clarified by the report from L’Equipe. However, the former Celtic man is valued at around £5.5m by Football Transfers, meaning he could offer a cheap solution to Wolves’ lack of depth on the wing since Neto’s departure to West London earlier in the month.
Why Jota would be a good signing
It has certainly been a rocky time of things for Jota since his move to Al-Ittihad. The 25-year-old was briefly not registered by the club, for them to comply with the Saudi Pro League rules of having a maximum of eight foreign players registered; thus the Portuguese winger was sacrificed and found himself an outcast in many ways.
However, he has appeared for the club, playing 25 games in total, with 16 of those coming in the league before and after his registration issues. In those 25 appearances, he has five goals and an assist from the left wing.
The Benfica academy graduate arguably played the best football of his career for Scottish giants Celtic. He played 83 games for the Bhoys and found the back of the net an impressive 28 times, grabbing 26 assists along the way, too.
The entirety of his spell at Celtic Park came under the tutelage of current Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou. The Australian manager clearly thought highly of the winger, praising him for his “dangerous” and “threatening” attacking ability during their time spent together in Glasgow.
Should Wolves bring Jota to the club this summer, he could be a perfect replacement for Neto. The Chelsea number seven was superb for the Molineux side despite injuries and showed his class with 14 goals and 24 assists in 134 appearances for the club.
Indeed, the Al-Ittihad man would be a like-for-like replacement for his fellow Portuguese winger. The pair are both rapid, direct wingers with an eye for goal. Crucially, the former Celtic man, who currently earns a whooping £190k per week in Saudi Arabia as per Capology, is a versatile player.
Last season, O’Neil played the new Chelsea man right across the Wolves frontline, and this is certainly something he can count on with Jota, too. During his time in Scotland, he played on both wings and had great deals of success on each side.
Jota record by position for Celtic (min 45 mins played)
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Left-wing
50
16
15
Right-wing
28
12
10
Total
78
28
25
Stats from Transfermarkt
Their stats are also comparable and demonstrate just how good of a Neto replacement Jota could prove to be. It is important to consider that for this comparison, Jota’s Sofascore stats from 2022/23, his last season at Celtic, have been used, with Neto’s stats from last campaign have been considered, courtesy of Sofascore.
Firstly, in terms of their pure goals and assist numbers, Jota scored 11 goals and got ten assists in 29 SPFL games, with Neto scoring just twice but getting an impressive nine assists in 20 Premier League matches.
Their creative numbers per 90 minutes are very similar. The former Celtic attacker – who has been dubbed "a striker's dream" by pundit Marvin Bartley – created 13 big chances and averaged 1.9 key passes per game during his last season with the Bhoys, with the former Wolves winger creating seven big chances and also playing 1.9 key passes.
The pair are also neck and neck when it comes to their dribbling stats from those respective seasons. The Al-Ittihad number 11 averaged 1.5 dribbles per game with a completion rate of 48%, and although the ex-Wolves man averaged more dribbles each game, with 1.9, he had a slightly worse completion rate of 47%.
As the stats, the goals, assist numbers and Jota’s versatility shows, he is a perfect replacement for Neto. Whilst he has struggled during his time in Saudi Arabia, he is clearly a talented player rated by the likes of Postecoglou, which the stats also reflect.
It maynot be an expensive deal for Wolves to get over the line, and he seems to be the dream replacement for one of their best players of the past few seasons. It would be a very well-profiled signing from O’Neil and the scouting staff at Molineux.
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