The impact of Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup triumph will become clear in the weeks and months ahead. Seeing their Premier League title odds shorten as a result of their 3-0 final win over Paris Saint-Germain, there is a chance Enzo Maresca’s team could push towards the top of the league come May.
The other thing that could potentially happen is that they suffer from burnout in the final few months of the 2025/26 campaign considering FIFA’s latest tournament took place at a time when rival players were resting up ahead of the new term. A number of Chelsea players did seem to benefit from their participation in the tournament, though, with Pedro Neto certainly one of those who excelled in the United States.
Joining Chelsea from Wolves in a £54million deal last August, the Blues never really saw the Portuguese international at the top of his game on a consistent basis. Always going to need time to adapt to his new surroundings and Maresca’s ways, it could be in the 2025/26 season where Chelsea see Neto replicate the levels of performance when he wowed at Wolves.
Maresca is already predicting a big season for Neto after his exploits at the Club World Cup. Starting in six of their seven games, the 25-year-old registered three goals in the competition as he scored in their first two group games and then the round of 16 win over Benfica.
Speaking after the 2-0 victory over LAFC in their opening fixture, the Italian dished out the praise after Neto scored the first of his team’s two goals on the day.
“Pedro is a very good person, very professional, and works hard every day. Today he played a very good game and since he arrived with us, he has been very good,” outlined Maresca.
“Next season, he is probably going to be even better in terms of goals and assists, but overall, we are very happy with Pedro.”
It was a tournament of mixed emotions for the player as he suffered the tragic loss of close friend and former Wolves and Portugal teammate Diogo Jota. At a time when many may have expected him to sit out Chelsea’s quarter-final against Palmeiras considering the news, the winger put in a huge shift and played 87 minutes of the 2-1 win.
“We spoke with Pedro yesterday, this morning and this afternoon and it was completely his personal decision whether to play or not to play,” revealed Maresca. “He made a fantastic effort to play this game, to be with his teammates, and we really appreciate what he has done.
“I just said to the players that this win is especially for him because we know how close he was [with Jota] and the effort that he has done. So no doubt that we really appreciate what he decided in the end.”
Neto again put in a huge effort in the final, this time more than doing his bit to keep the adventurous Achraf Hakimi quiet down Paris Saint-Germain’s right side. The Club World Cup has been very good for the Portuguese ace and the hope will be that he can carry his form into the new season considering they will get their Premier League campaign underway in one month’s time with a home encounter against Crystal Palace.
Neto’s ability to play on either flank means he will be competing against Jamie Gittens, Estevao Willian and any further incomings out wide over the course of the season. The player deserves to keep his place in the team on merit at present and the hope will be that plenty of goals and assists are just around the corner for him as Maresca predicted.
Learn more
