Pedro Neto Is Using The Club World Cup To Earn His Chelsea Future

The 2025 Club World Cup has been an up and down experience for Chelsea so far. While Enzo Maresca’s team has beaten Los Angeles FC and Esperance to secure a place in the last 16 of the tournament, it also suffered a damaging 3-1 defeat to Flamengo that exposed how the Blues remain a work-in-progress for the time being.

Signings are expected to be made once Chelsea return from the USA with Liam Delap already in the door as the club’s new number nine. However, the Stamford Bridge club is reportedly prioritising the addition of at least one new wide attacker to increase the potency of the frontline on the pitch.

Jamie Gittens has been linked with a summer switch to Stamford Bridge with Borussia Dortmund reportedly demanding a fee of €70m for one of its prize assets. Alejandro Garnacho is another wide player believed to be on Chelsea’s radar with the young Argentine seemingly on his way out of Manchester United.

At the Club World Cup, though, Pedro Neto is making his case. He is earning his Chelsea future by shining at the tournament, scoring two goals in two games. The 25-year-old didn’t feature in the final group game against Esperance, but this suggested Maresca wants to rest him for the last 16 meeting with Benfica this weekend.

Neto endured an inconsistent first season as a Chelsea player after joining from Wolves last summer. The winger only scored four goals in 35 Premier League appearances, leading many to believe the Blues could find better than the Portuguese international in the transfer market this summer.

However, Neto’s two performances against LAFC and Flamengo at the Club World Cup have been eye-catching. He has given Chelsea purpose and verticality in its attacking play, stretching the pitch with his speed while also demonstrating final product and good decision-making in and around the opposition penalty area.

Of course, this won’t be where the true measure of Neto’s Chelsea career is taken. The Blues need the Portuguese to replicate this sort of form in the Premier League, and in the Champions League next season with Chelsea back at the top table of European club soccer. This is where Neto must deliver on a regular basis.

Nonetheless, Neto has given Maresca and the decision makers at Stamford Bridge something to think about. The 25-year-old will likely be back in the Chelsea team to take on Benfica when he will have another opportunity to prove he can offer more than the likes of Gittens or Garnacho can.