It has been a tough season for Wolverhampton Wanderers so far. The Old Gold currently find themselves languishing in 20th in the Premier League table, with just three points to their name. They certainly seem to be feeling the loss of their big stars over the past few years.
Over the past two summers, the Midlands club have lost Ruben Neves to Saudi Arabia, Matheus Nunes to Premier League champions Manchester City and Max Kilman, who moved to West Ham United. However, perhaps the biggest loss has been Pedro Neto, who left Gary O’Neil’s side in the most recent summer transfer window.
Neto’s Wolves career
Although his time at Molineux was hampered by injuries, Portugal international Neto was a brilliant servant to the club. He left this summer, moving down south to join Chelsea for a fee of £54m including add-ons.
It is not hard to see why Chelsea paid such a hefty fee for the tricky Portuguese winger. Throughout his time playing for the Old Gold, he scored 14 goals and grabbed 24 assists in 135 appearances.
The new Chelsea number seven had a brilliant campaign in 2023/24, with two goals and nine assists in just 20 Premier League games.
Sadly, injuries played a big part in his Wolves career. The 24-year-old missed 584 days and 112 games through injury for both club and country. The worst of those injuries was a knee issue which kept him out for 297 days and 52 games in 2020.
With that being said, it is quite clear that O’Neil’s side have missed the dynamic winger this season. They have scored just 12 times in the Premier League, with only five sides having found the back of the net on fewer occasions.
There is no doubt that the Old Gold will be looking to replace Neto in their squad as soon as possible. They may well have found their man and could challenge other Premier League sides for his signature.
Who Wolves could sign to replace Neto
The player in question here is 18-year-old Ivorian winger Bazoumana Toure. As reported by journalist Graeme Bailey earlier this week, Wolves are one of ‘up to a dozen British clubs’ interested in signing the 18-year-old.
They will face competition from the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Scottish giants Celtic. As per The Mirror, he is valued at £5m.
The young winger could be the dream replacement for Wolves’ former Portuguese winger. Football analyst Ben Mattinson explained he literally has “ability like Neto”, explaining he is an “intelligent passer” too. Football scout Antonio Mango was also full of praise for the 18-year-old, describing him as an “extremely talented” footballer.
He has been phenomenal for club side Hammarby IF in the Swedish top flight. The Ivorian has played 21 times for the club so far in 2024, scoring an impressive nine goals and grabbing four assists. What makes these numbers even better is the fact he has played just 1588 minutes, the equivalent of just 17.6 full 90-minute games.
Indeed, when looking more in detail at the winger’s stats on Sofascore, they are a testament to just how well he has performed this season. Toure has created seven big chances, the same as Neto did for Wolves last campaign, as per Sofascore.
The similarities do not stop there, however, with the Hammarby number 28 and the new Chelsea attacker both completing 1.9 dribbles per game in their respective seasons.
Stat
Toure – 2024
Neto – 2023/24
Games
21
20
Big chances created
7
7
Assists
4
9
Key passes per game
1.4
1.9
Ball recoveries per game
4
4
Dribbles completed per game
1.9
1.9
Ground duels won per game
4.3
3.3
It certainly seems like signing Toure would be quite the coup for the Old Gold. Not only is it a risk-free signing given he is worth just £5m, but his similarities to Neto are clear to see, and he could finally be the perfect replacement for one of Wolves’ best players in recent years.
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