Former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna admits he ‘expected more’ from one of Chelsea’s big-money summer signings.
Chelsea spent more than £200m on new signings last summer but FA Cup and League Cup winner Sagna has been ‘disappointed’ by the performances for Pedro Neto.
Portugal international Neto completed a £54m move from Wolves, putting pen to paper on a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
The 24-year-old was a hugely influential figure at Molineux but has flattered to deceive at Chelsea, scoring two goals in 21 Premier League games.
Despite costing more than £50m, Neto has started less than half of Chelsea’s league matches as he faces intense competition from the likes of Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke.
‘I definitely expected a bit more from Neto because he was such an exciting player at Wolves,’ ex-France international Sagna told Great Offshore Sportsbooks.
‘He’s gone from being the main man at Wolves to just another good player at Chelsea, and sometimes it can be hard for a player to make that adjustment.
‘Don’t forget that Neto is also a young player that is still improving, and he’s being asked to perform for a club where the expectations are a lot higher.
‘I think his performances have been quite good, but if you’re comparing his output to what he has produced season after season for Wolves then I think you can have a right to be disappointed with his numbers.
‘He is a player that I really like. I like his personality, his ability with the ball and his work rate. I’ve expected more from him because I know he can deliver more, but there is still plenty of time for him to register more goals and assists before the season ends.
‘Attacking players are always judged on their final output, he knows that.’
Another attacking player who has underwhelmed at Stamford Bridge is Joao Felix, who left Chelsea on loan towards the end of the January transfer window just six months after a £45m arrival from Atletico Madrid.
Discussing Felix following his move to Serie A side AC Milan, Sagna added: ‘With Joao Felix, his body language was not the best.
‘He has amazing quality, but maybe people will be frustrated with how he looks on the pitch.
He joined a club where Cole Palmer is more than clinical and also undroppable. He is the best player in the Chelsea team.
‘It was always going to be difficult for Felix to be given opportunities consistently at Chelsea.’
Neto scored in fourth goal of the season in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over London rivals West Ham earlier in the month.
But Chelsea’s inconsistent form since mid-December continued at the weekend as Maresca’s side were beaten 2-1 by Brighton to crash out of the FA Cup.
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