The Premier League season is just over two weeks away, and while Tottenham Hotspur have shown promise in pre-season, they still need to bolster their squad to help Ange Postecoglou lead them up the table this year.
The club has been linked to numerous talented players this summer, including Eberechi Eze and Jonathan David, but so far, Daniel Levy and the team have only signed Archie Gray and Yang Min-Hyeok.
However, this situation may soon change, as recent reports indicate that the club is making progress toward signing a highly talented attacker who has been compared to Dejan Kulusevski in the past.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from Football Transfers, Tottenham have maintained their interest in Pedro Neto and have ‘intensified their efforts’ to secure his services this summer.
The report states that the Lilywhites have had further talks with the winger, who remains high on Postecoglou’s wish list this summer.
While the potential fee for the £50k-per-week star is not mentioned, previous reports suggest he could cost between £50m and £60m.
From a financial standpoint, this fee might be steep for Spurs, but considering Neto’s talent, Levy and the team might want to invest in him – his comparison to Kulusevski is an added bonus.
Why Neto would be a great signing and his comparison to Kulusevski
Before delving into Neto’s impressive stats and why he would benefit Spurs, let’s examine the comparison to the Lilywhites’ Swedish international.
This comparison stems from FBref, which analyzed all attacking midfielders and wingers in the 2022/23 Premier League season, creating a list of the ten most comparable players for each one. Kulusevski emerged as the most similar to the Wolves star in that year.
This conclusion was drawn by comparing underlying numbers and key metrics such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, passing accuracy, crosses into the penalty area, through balls, goal-creating actions, tackles won, clearances, and carries, all per 90 minutes.
However, Levy and his team are not solely basing their decision on Neto’s similarity to the former Juventus star. Instead, they are focusing on his impressive performance last season.
In just 24 appearances for Wolves, Neto, described as a “monster” by data analyst Ben Mattinson, scored three goals and provided 11 assists, averaging a goal involvement every 1.71 games.
Moreover, this total of 14 goals and assists would have made the 24-year-old the fourth most productive Spurs player last season, despite his limited appearances. The main concern with signing him is his fitness.
Throughout last season, the former Lazio winger missed 23 games for club and country. While this is a concern, the advantage of moving to Tottenham is that with the talented wide players already at Postecoglou’s disposal, Neto might get more rest, reducing his injury risk.
Ultimately, Neto is a highly talented player who could shine in the Premier League with the Lilywhites. Despite his fee and injury history, the potential upside is significant. Therefore, the North Londoners should push forward and bring him to N17 this summer, as it could be a gamble that pays off.
