Arsenal have been linked with a move for Wolves winger Pedro Neto, but what could actually happen if the Portuguese international made the move to the Emirates?
Neto has been a long-term target for Arsenal, with the 24-year-old having impressed at Wolves since joining them in 2019. Despite suffering a handful of injury issues, the winger managed three goals and 10 assists across all competitions last season, and due to Wolves’ problems with Financial Fair Play (FFP), the West Midlands club could be forced to sell.
A new forward looks to be a priority for Arsenal this summer, with the Gunners having already failed in a move for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko. So, if Arsenal signed Neto in the summer transfer window, could he prove a good signing? Let’s take a look.
Arsenal’s 2024/25 season simulated with Pedro Neto
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Neto to Arsenal in the summer transfer window before simulating the 2024/25 season. This is how the Wolves winger performed.
On his arrival at the club, Neto was trusted to start on the left by Mikel Arteta, with the 24-year-old quickly becoming a regular in the Arsenal squad. He impressed immensely in his first campaign as a Gunner, with the winger actually making more appearances than any of his fellow Arsenal forwards.
No player registered more goals and assists than Neto, with the Portugal international scoring 12 and assisting 11 for a combined 23 goal contributions. Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard also managed 23 each, while Gabriel Jesus managed 21.
At the end of the 2024/25 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Arsenal best XI: (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Odegaard, Rice; Saka, Jesus, Neto.
Neto made Arsenal’s best XI in the simulation, with the winger starting on the left of the attack alongside Jesus and Saka. Gabriel Martinelli missed out while the rest of the starting XI was very similar to last season, with Oleksandr Zinchenko starting at left-back ahead of Jurrien Timber and Jakub Kiwior.
Despite Neto’s impressive form for Arsenal, it was far from their best season under Arteta, with the Gunners dropping points in 17 of their 38 games. This meant that Arsenal weren’t involved in the Premier League title race, but it still wasn’t an awful campaign as they finished third.
21 wins, eight draws and nine losses saw the Gunners end the season with 71 points, 19 fewer than the league winners Liverpool. Manchester City hadn’t lost any of their first 33 league games of the season, but three losses on the bounce in their last five saw them miss out on the title by a point.
Despite not being involved in the Premier League title race, Arsenal managed to find success elsewhere. Arteta’s side beat West Ham United 3-0 to lift the FA Cup, with the Gunners scoring a minimum of three goals in each round of the competition. Their Champions League journey came to an end in the semi-finals after a 5-3 aggregate loss to Man City, and late heartbreak saw them lose the Carabao Cup final in added time in a 2-1 defeat against Liverpool.
Overall, FM24 predicts that Neto could be a fantastic signing for Arsenal, with the 24-year-old establishing himself as one of the most dangerous attackers in the Gunners’ squad and in the entire Premier League. But, the simulation suggests that his arrival may not be enough to push Arteta’s side towards the Premier League title and that a few more reinforcements may be needed.
