BREAKING NEWS: Pedro Neto’s potential transfer to Chelsea could see the Wolves star receive an iconic jersey number, ending a seven-year wait.
Chelsea has reached an agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers for a £54 million transfer of Pedro Neto. As the deal progresses, Neto will likely be considering which shirt number he will wear if the transfer is finalized.
At 24 years old, Neto would be Chelsea’s tenth signing this summer following his medical. Of the new signings, six players – Filip Joergensen, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu, Omari Kellyman, Renato Veiga, and Tosin Adarabioyo – have already chosen their numbers, while Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana have also changed theirs.
This leaves limited options for new signings, with only three numbers from 1 to 30 still available. However, more numbers may become available if current players leave.
Currently, the number nine jersey is the most prominent one open, unclaimed since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure, with Romelu Lukaku and Tammy Abraham having worn it before him. Although Neto is not a traditional No. 9, players like Khalid Boulahrouz and Steve Sidwell were not either. Neto did wear the number nine while playing for Lazio’s under-19s, mainly in a central role.
During his time at Wolves, Neto has mostly worn the number seven, except for two under-21 matches last year where he wore the No. 11 as he returned from injury. For Portugal, he has also worn the number seven in the senior side and No. 11 for the under-17s, both traditional numbers for wide players.
Neto has previously worn numbers 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, and 25, but these are all taken at Chelsea. When he started at Braga, he wore No. 71 in the B team and carried it into the first team, a number only worn by Charlie Webster in the 2021/22 season at Chelsea.
However, it seems likely that Neto might opt for the No. 30 jersey, which he selected after joining Lazio. This number has been available at Chelsea since last summer when Carney Chukwuemeka switched to 17.