Walcott tells Arsenal that Chelsea signed star they ‘needed’, with Blues man dealing Gunners wrath

Theo Walcott has told Arsenal that Chelsea man Pedro Neto was a player they “need” to give competition to their forwards, as Troy Deeney detailed how he’s a nightmare for full-backs, including Gunners man Jurrien Timber.

Arsenal signed just one forward this summer, Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling, on loan. That he became available was partially because the Blues moved to sign Neto from Wolves.

If the Gunners had their way, they would have signed the Portuguese themselves, having tracked him prior to the summer window.

Former Arsenal winger Walcott feels that was a signing which should have been made.

“When we talk about Neto – he’s the sort of player who Arsenal maybe could have signed to have given that competition to other players,” he said on Match of the Day 2.

“That’s kind of what they need right now, to provide that competition.”

DON’T MISS: Ranking every player that Arsenal have signed directly from Chelsea after Raheem Sterling deal

Neto starring from the right

Often in recent weeks, Neto has began on the left-wing for Chelsea, before being shifted out right when Noni Madueke has left the field for Mykhaylo Mudryk.

On commentary in the Blues’ game versus Arsenal, Gary Neville suggested Neto needed to be more direct when on the left, but his move to the right saw him cut inside and score, having added a different dimension which Deeney feels was important and hurt the Gunners.

“When you put him out on the right-hand side, because he has that pace, Timber has to back off because he doesn’t know if he is going to run or cross it,” he said.

“If you’re a full-back, you’re thinking ‘he could kick it and run so I can’t get too close’, but if you get really close to him, he can drop his shoulder and run in behind.

“With how he is doing, coming in off the right onto that left foot; he can shoot, he can cross but also he has got that raw speed which is going to back defenders off and you can see just what an acquisition he’s been for Chelsea.”

Arsenal round-up: Gunners told to improve attack

Having not signed Neto in the summer, Arsenal have been told they should raid Premier League opposition Newcastle for Alexander Isak soon, as he is “the missing link” for their attack.

Potentially exiting Arsenal for good is Reiss Nelson, who’s currently out on loan with Fulham. The attacker has reportedly told Mikel Arteta he wants to leave on a permanent basis, with contact with two Bundesliga clubs having been made.

Arteta himself seems he won’t be going anywhere, though, or at least not to Manchester City, as it’s felt he’s not done enough at the top level to take over from Pep Guardiola.

Danny Murphy also felt that the Gunners boss would not want to ditch his current project for the top job at the Etihad.

Neto among most-expensive deals

TEAMtalk features expert Nathan Egerton looked into the Premier League’s most-expensive summer deals, of which Neto features high on the list:

✍️ ‘After Michael Olise joined Bayern Munich and Nico Williams decided to stay at Athletic Bilbao, Chelsea switched their attention to Neto.

They fought off competition from Tottenham and Manchester City to sign the Portugal international from Wolves in a £51.4million deal, although that fee could rise to £54million with add-ons.’

WHERE NETO RANKS: The 10 most expensive Premier League transfers in the summer 2024 window, featuring three Man Utd signings