Neto Could Suit A Changed Liverpool, But He's No Salah Replacement

Photo by Ambitious Studio* - Rick Barrett on Unsplash

Right now, as I type, Liverpool continue to hold a real and tangible two point advantage over Pep Guardiola's expensively assembled Manchester City side, but every member in the Anfield faithful will be well aware that this could potentially change when Jurgen Klopp finally learns what they manage to do with the single game in hand that they hold over us.

The Premier League title race in 2023/24 is very likely to ebb and flow in the final months of the campaign as things at the top of the table really begin to settle and organise themselves out, and whilst we can probably discount Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and any side now sitting below them in fifth place, for the moment there will still be half an eye on Mikel Arteta's Arsenal squad but it will certainly sell tickets as the battle rages on.

One recent boost is the news that Egyptian wizard Mohamed Salah has now returned to training following the injury that he picked up whilst on AFCON duty for his country, and the 31 year old will be a massive boost for us in the final months of the campaign.

However, in his absence we have to acknowledge that Diogo Jota has been in inspired form in more recent weeks and his over all performance levels, and threat in attack has proven key to giving opposition defenders nightmares, and we have arguably also seen further improvement from Darwin Nunez - even if it would not be unfair to say that he is yet to reach what we all think could be his true potential at this level, as his goal return could very easily increase with both a little bit more on the lady luck scale, but even more refined levels of composure.

This does bode well for the future, especially as Luis Diaz is now undoubtedly beginning to find some real confidence, real form and he has now seriously started adding some consistency to his seemingly natural 'never say die' attitude, even when at points previously, things were just not coming off for him.

Whilst most fans will be wrapped up in the battles that lie ahead this campaign, talking about the future also brings us to a transfer speculation report that suggests we could again raid Wolverhampton Wanderers with the hopes of replicating Diogo Jota's success and growth with us, by adding Portuguese talent, Pedro Neto, to our ranks.

These are by no means new suggestions for the Liverpool transfer rumour mill, and somewhat predictably we are named with having an interest in the 23 year old Portuguese international alongside the typical likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

However, whilst there is reason in the wider world world of football to think that the already five capped young talent could well have moved on far earlier had it not been for the injury issues he has suffered since moving to the Midlands, if the reports are correct, Wolves now have totally different reasons for feeling that the time has come to move him on.

If this speculation is true, it could well mean they will have to cash in on him at a slightly lower level than they may well have hoped for in previous transfer windows. With that said, they are supposedly still looking for a transfer fee in the region of £60 to £70 million, but you would imagine they would only get there if they could spark a bidding war.

It is now being claimed that manager Gary O'Neil is looking for the club to fund a summer transfer chest that would cover a new striker, a centre half and a replacement for Neto himself, and that he is open to Neto being the one who funds all three deals. There is also the issue of Financial Fair Play and it is said that they are just about breaking even, so Neto is one of the obvious go to players on a cashing in front if they want to create greater financial wriggle room.

Age, talent, international experience and he has plenty of future development potential as well, and for the Liverpool speculation mainly, our interest in him is suggested to simply be as a replacement for Salah should he decide to move on with Klopp. Salah's future has regularly been debated, but if I am honest, he is not a Salah replacement - he is not even close to being a replacement on every day of the week and then twice on Sunday, as the phrase goes.

This only makes some sense if the presumption is, post Salah and Klopp, we totally change the attacking ethos of the pitch and Neto would come in to do what he does well - play pure wing and provide assists.

It is just ridiculous to suggest he is a replacement on the goal scoring front and that is what more makes me doubt these claims. Describe him as an alternative option to Salah by all means, but an ideal replacement - just no.

Written by Alan Spencer