Pedro Neto scored twice as Chelsea beat Everton 2-0, vindicating the club's decision to reject summer interest in the winger. The Portugal international could have been playing elsewhere this season after being linked with several clubs, but Chelsea placed a public valuation of close to £100m on the 26-year-old to signal his importance to Xabi Alonso's plans.
Summer transfer interest and Chelsea's stance
Chelsea's summer spending was inevitably accompanied by sales as BlueCo chiefs balanced the books, and Neto was regularly linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge. He fielded interest from Manchester City and Al-Hilal, and was also linked with both Liverpool and Tottenham, yet he stayed put.
There was a sense that people close to Neto were keen on drumming up interest and wanted him to move clubs this summer, but Chelsea were insistent they wanted him to stay. The hefty price tag was intended to indicate he was a big part of Alonso's plans, and those Chelsea hoped would get the message did.
Match-winning performance at Everton
On Saturday, Neto scored both of Chelsea's goals at the Hill Dickinson Stadium as the front three of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Morgan Rogers all failed to find the net. His first goal came 44 seconds after the restart, and the second followed in stoppage time.
Both finishes involved Neto using every last second before passing beyond the reach of Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. He later explained: "It has come a little bit from the new coach of the national team. He says when you are near to the area to ask for the ball, so I am really happy with that."
New role under Alonso
Alonso has this season shifted Chelsea's formation away from the 4-2-3-1 system used under Enzo Maresca, Liam Rosenior and in two separate spells under caretaker boss Calum McFarlane. Chelsea have tended to set up in a 3-4-2-1 instead, with Neto playing on the right of the midfield four.
Playing deeper than he is used to has involved plenty of defensive work running back towards his own goal, but he has been up to the task thus far. "We came here with personality," Neto said of Chelsea's performance at Everton.
Alonso rejected the idea that Neto is simply an orthodox right wing-back. When asked after the game about Neto's reinvention, Alonso replied: "You think he is a wing-back?" He added: "You can call him whatever - winger, wing-back, attacking position, defending - he can do many things. Today he did well. He is so competitive. When he is close to the action, he is a threat against any full-back. When he is on the last line or is in between, he connects well with the players around him - with Joao Pedro, with Cole."
