“At the moment, I’m not at my level” - Chelsea star makes big admission to fans after summer transfer
Chelsea forward Pedro Neto has said that he's not been at his best so far this season. He added that he's working towards improving his fitness and confidence to deliver consistently.
The Blues spent a reported fee of £54 million to sign Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer. He's made seven appearances across competitions so far, starting in four of them. He scored his first goal for the club in their 5-0 win over League One side Barrow at home in the EFL Cup third round on September 24.
After the match, Neto spoke about his time at Chelsea so far, saying (via Metro):
"At the moment, I’m not at my level, but I’m getting there. I know that I will arrive at my top form and I will enjoy it. I continue to work. I continue to work on my confidence, on my football, on the adaptation, and I hope to be [at full fitness] as soon as as I can."
Neto also spoke about the difference in the competition for places at Chelsea as compared to Wolves, saying:
"When you arrive at a big club, it’s a new adaptation. Maybe in Wolverhampton, I was going to play maybe 90 per cent of the games. Here, I have to work even more or maybe I’ll not play because the coach will rotate the players. It makes you play even better because you know that you have to work."
He added:
"With the amount of quality that we have here, no one can sleep. As the coach has said: 'Everyone will not play every game'. We have to work hard and make for ourselves and continue to to do it every weekend, every training session, every game. It’s the mentality that I hope can take us to the top."
Neto made just 24 appearances across competitions for Wolves last season due to injuries but registered three goals and 11 assists in that time.
Pedro Neto on Chelsea's togetherness after win over Barrow
After their Carabao Cup win against Barrow at Stamford Bridge, several Chelsea stars who weren't available to play were seen with the players. This includes the likes of captain Reece James and defender Tosin Adarabioyo.
When asked about their presence, Neto said (via Chelseafc.com):
"It is togetherness. If we want to achieve something and you want to arrive at the level of the teams that are on the top then we have to act the same way; all together and all with the same goal, working hard together."
Chelsea have had a decent start under Enzo Maresca this season despite beginning with a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City in the Premier League. They qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League despite losing the second leg of the playoffs against Servette. They are unbeaten in their last four games and won the last three.
The Blues will next face Brighton & Hove Albion at home on Saturday, September 28.