Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet while speaking to Lord Ping (h/t football.london), has shared his doubts about how well Neymar would adapt to the physicality of the Premier League. He also said that he does not see the Brazilian joining Chelsea this summer.
Neymar has been linked with a sensational move to Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain this summer. It is believed that he is no longer comfortable at PSG and the Parisian club is looking to offload the Brazilian.
The 30-year-old moved to Paris from Barcelona in the summer of 2017 for a fee of £200million. Since then he has gone to play 144 games for the Paris outfit, scoring 100 goals and assisting 60.
“Chelsea shouldn’t try to sign Neymar. I think he will stay at PSG. I think after Mbappe announced he was staying and with their ambition to try and win the Champions League, I can’t see him leaving. I don’t think he would adapt quickly to English football with how physical it is. I can’t see him joining Chelsea.”
Thiago Silva, his former team-mate at PSG and Brazilian counterpart, has urged Neymar to make a switch to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are yet to make a new signing this summer while Thomas Tuchel has seen an exodus of senior players including Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Romelu Lukaku.
The Blues had struggled last season to find the back of the net consistently. Tuchel would be aware of such a problem and has been linked to Raheem Sterling and Raphinha to help solve this problem. Now he could potentially sign a world-class player to add to his ranks in Neymar.
Neymar and Tuchel are no strangers to each other, with the German having managed the Brazilian during his time at PSG. Neymar will be aware of the demands and playing style of the manager, while Tuchel will be aware of Neymar’s strengths and weaknesses. This could be beneficial to both should Neymar sign for us.
But Poyet saying Neymar would not be able to keep up with the physicality of the Premier League is something that needs to be considered. However, people will have their opinion and this should not affect the decision-making of the coach and management.
Tuchel is not a new coach and he knows what type of players he wants in his team. If he wants Neymar, then it’s wiser to trust his judgement than Poyet. However, Neymar’s fitness issues have been a concern during his time in France.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. The Blues fans will be hoping that the club announces the signing of some players. Tuchel could prefer to have his squad ready before pre-season, giving him time to assess his options.
Neymar won’t be cheap as well. PSG would want to recoup some of the money they spent on him- which was a lot– and the Brazilian would also be a heavy name on the wage bill.
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