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Chelsea are certainly showing no signs of slowing down in the transfer market, as the English club continue to add new players. The latest addition is Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Pedro Neto, who has reportedly agreed on personal terms, with both clubs settling on a fee of £51.4 million plus £2.6 million in add-ons.
NBA star Josh Hart, a passionate Chelsea fan who has frequently expressed his support on social media, reacted humorosly on X regarding Neto’s potential arrival. Hart, who plays for the New York Knicks, has a well-documented love for football and has previously attended matches at Stamford Bridge as well.
In response to Fabrizio Romano’s tweet about Chelsea nearing a deal for Neto, the 29-year-old shooting guard jokingly suggested that the FA should consider giving his club a transfer ban due to the influx of new signings.
“Give us a transfer ban please,” Hart’s tweet read.
Enzo Maresca certainly faces a massive challenge with the size of the squad and the task of integrating numerous players into the starting lineup, a problem that former head coach Mauricio Pochettino also had.
Following a disappointing pre-season tour, which included defeats to Celtic, Manchester City, and Real Madrid, the Blues will play Inter Milan in their final friendly before facing Manchester City in their first Premier League game of the season.
Prior to that, the club will seek to offload some players to reduce the squad size and enter the season with a more settled team.
Jamie Carragher voices concerns about Chelsea and Enzo Maresca
Former Liverpool defender and current pundit Jamie Carragher has voiced his concerns about Chelsea, citing their poor pre-season performance and the challenging season ahead.
Carragher is particularly worried about new head coach Enzo Maresca, who has previously managed only Parma and Leicester City. While the Chelsea board has placed their trust in the Italian manager to turn things around, Carragher believes that Maresca’s tenure might be short-lived due to the high level of competition in the Premier League.
The way Chelsea’s pre-season has gone… they’ve got Man City first game of the season… I’ll be surprised if Maresca is still the manager come the end of the season, very surprised," Carragher told The Overlap on Sky Sports (via The Standard).
Additionally, the 46-year-old believes that Mauricio Pochettino deserves considerable credit for Cole Palmer’s performance last season. Palmer, who was signed from Manchester City, was Chelsea’s standout player last year. However, Carragher is concerned that his numbers might decline under a new manager.
“My worry for Chelsea is that Pochettino deserves a lot of credit for how Palmer performed last season. No one expected that, not even Pep, otherwise he wouldn’t have sold him. So they might not have that Cole Palmer this season. I’m sure they will because I think he’s fantastic, but a new manager has come in so it’s different," he added.
Chelsea are undoubtedly facing a tough period, but they appear to have several quality players capable of competing with the front-runners. After facing Manchester City, the Blues will play in the Conference League playoff tie before resuming Premier League action against Wolves.
