Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered a shock FA Cup defeat to Coventry City over the weekend, but Gary O’Neil will be pleased with how this season has gone.
Not only are the Old Gold fighting for a top-half Premier League finish, but the manager has got the best out of several players, including Pedro Neto, who has shone this season.
Pedro Neto’s market value at Wolves
The winger endured a difficult 2022/23 season, missing large chunks – including the World Cup – due to an ankle injury, and managed to score just once throughout the entire campaign.
The 2023/24 season has been totally different, however. Not only has Neto scored three goals, but the Portuguese winger has registered an impressive 11 assists, not bad for a player who has missed ten games through injury.
Neto is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury, potentially ruling him out of Euro 2024, while it is a big blow for Wolves too.
His performances this term have been nothing short of excellent and this has seen his market value rise. According to Football Transfers, Neto is now worth €21.5m (£18.5m). Their expected transfer value algorithm takes into account factors such as playing time, the level they play at and when their contract expires. Such a low valuation could be to do with the winger's injuries, therefore.
Goals
2
Assists
9
Key passes per game
2
Big chances created
7
Successful dribbles per game
1.9
Via Sofascore
There is no doubt this would have continued to rise between now and the end of the season had he remained injury-free.
The Old Gold sold a player back in 2020 that is now worth more than Neto due to his performances for Liverpool – Diogo Jota.
Diogo Jota’s market value after leaving Wolves
Nuno Espírito Santo signed Jota on a permanent deal in the summer of 2018 for a fee of £12.8m after he enjoyed a loan spell during their 2017/18 Championship winning season.
Across his three full seasons at Molineux, Jota scored 44 goals in 131 games, while also registering 19 assists, and it did not take long for bigger clubs to take notice.
Jürgen Klopp soon flexed his chequebook and signed the forward in 2020 for a fee in the region of £44m, indicating that Nuno had hit the jackpot with the player.
He has been a crowd favourite at Anfield over the previous four years, registering 76 goal contributions – 55 goals and 21 assists – in 151 matches, showing that he has been more than able to make the step-up to a club like Liverpool.
Hailed as “exceptional” by Klopp during the 2021/22 season, Jota has become a key member of the Reds’ attack and can operate across the front three with ease.
According to Football Transfers, Jota is now currently valued at €39.3m (£33.6m), nearly double the valuation of Neto at the time of writing.
While O’Neil would love a player like Jota in his current squad, it was clear Wolves could not turn down an offer of £44m back in 2020 for the forward. Considering his value has actually dropped, they cashed in at just the right time.
He has exceeded expectations and then some during his spell on Merseyside and the Old Gold managed to make a significant profit on the former Atlético Madrid gem.
When Neto recovers from his injury, he could end up being sold for a major profit too, considering how impressive he has been.
