Benfica boss Bruno Lage says Chelsea have a £54m player who’s ‘one of the best’ in the world, it’s not Cole Palmer
Benfica manager Bruno Lage has discussed a couple of Chelsea players ahead of his side’s game against the Conference League winners.
Benfica take on Chelsea in the last 16 of the Club World Cup and will have to come up against the likes of Cole Palmer and Liam Delap.
Palmer is one of the best players in the Premier League, while Delap is a new signing who is looking to make a point and has already been able to make an impact in blue. Delap netted his first goal for Chelsea in just his third game after scoring against Esperance Sportive de Tunis.
It is one signing that Chelsea made in the 2024 summer transfer window that Lage has been raving about, however.
- READ MORE: Enzo Maresca can stun Benfica with brand new Chelsea attack for Club World Cup Round of 16 tie
Bruno Lage lauds Pedro Neto
Like Delap, Pedro Neto, who joined Chelsea from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £54m last August, has also been a threat at this year’s Club World Cup.
He is a player whom Lage rates highly, with the 49-year-old praising both him and Joao Felix ahead of Benfica’s tie with Chelsea.
Lage spoke to BBC Sport’s Nizaar Kinsella and other journalists in a pre-match press conference, where he hailed Felix as a “fantastic” player and described Neto as “one of the best wingers in the world”.
Lage was asked about Felix, as his compatriot has been linked with a move back to Benfica. Saudi Arabia could be Felix’s destination, though, as he continues to attract interest from the Saudi Pro League.
As for Neto, he will not be going anywhere, with the former Wolves star being Chelsea’s first-choice winger right now.
Pedro Neto’s stats at Club World Cup
Neto has probably been Chelsea’s best player at the Club World Cup. The Portuguese is their top scorer with two goals, while he is also averaging the highest amount of dribbles per game in their squad, according to WhoScored.
| Pedro Neto’s Club World Cup stats | Total |
| Games | 2 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Dribbles (per game) | 4 |
| Key passes (per game) | 2.5 |
Neto was only able to score four goals in the Premier League last season. Maybe describing him as one of the best wide attackers in the game is a bit of an exaggeration. But on his day, the Portugal international can be a real threat.
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