We need a rock in midfield—who can fill Kante’s shoes better than a beast in black and gold?

Heard that hawk-and-pigeon bit over your third coffee and still don’t buy it.

Who said Pedro’s NOT the beast we need eh? 🤬 been watching him since wolves days, seen him bulldoze midfields single-handed, chasing every ball like it insulted his mum 🔥 imagine him in black and gold shirt, just DOING jobs Kante did but with that portuguese flair, crosses almost as dangerous as his tackles, ah well, nowt to do

Pedro Neto at 24 is still in that awkward window where you’re not old enough to be called a proper veteran but definitely not a youngster anymore—he’s hit that sweet spot of experience without the wear. For a role like Kante’s it’s ideal because you don’t want someone just growing into it at 28, you need them already seasoned for that intensity day in, day out. Position-wise he’s drifted from right wing last year to more central when needed, which plays in our favour—Havertz had to do bits there after Wirtz left, so they’re already testing Neto centrally in training apparently. The problem isn’t so much whether he can slot into a pivot role as whether he’ll accept it. Wolves have played him predominantly on the right since his return from injury, and that’s where he’s racked up 8 goals and 6 assists this season. Swapping creative freedom for defensive drudgery is a big ask, especially when he’s just signed a fresh five-year deal at Molineux. That kind of loyalty usually comes with an ego too—he might not fancy stepping back into a Kante-style deep-lying sweeper role when he’s used to being the one breaking lines himself. Clubs don’t move players of that profile without contractual levers anyway. Neto’s release clause isn’t public, but it’s widely reported around €80 million—expensive for a position we’re already rebuilding (and that’s before you factor in agents, wages, agents again). Dortmund reportedly want 90 million, which tells you they think he’s elite; that gap alone shows how little margin there is for negotiation if we’re coming from the seller’s side. Still, if they’re sniffing around like your “hawk at a pigeon convention” line, it means they’ve done their homework on his fitness and durability rather than just the highlights. He’s missed games through injury in every senior season bar one—his first full campaign at Wolves. But he’s been iron-man for the last two seasons in terms of appearances, so there’s a data point there that suggests he can hack the physical load. What I’d want to see is a manager publicly committing to building the team around a true 6 before we make a move. If Nkunku is staying wide, Havertz willing to play deeper, then Neto fits the profile naturally—no forced square-peg-round-hole nonsense. Otherwise we risk another Joelinton situation where the player just isn’t wired for the role. So age-wise he’s young enough to adapt, physically he’s built like a tank already, but the bigger question is motivation. Unless Liverpool or City come calling with a clear plan to make him that pivot man, he might just stay put and spend the next three years collecting assists on the right flank while we chase our tails in midfield again.

Pedro fuckin’ Neto?? 😱💪 Nah mate, this isn’t about stats or release clauses—this is about HEART, about someone who’ll run THROUGH brick walls for the shirt! 🔥 Picture this: Pedro charging into a tackle like his boots are on fire, then popping up two seconds later to spray a 40-yard ball to Xhaka on the counter—THAT’S the energy we need next to Bellingham! 🙌 And that "yellow temper" TheVetGuy talked about? PERFECT. We want a midfield enforcer who’s also got the flair to unlock defences when the game asks for it! This lad’s got the engine of a Kante but the technique to make it look easy—just look at those Wolves days when he bulldozed half the Premier League single-handed! 🤬 And yeah, he’s signed for five years, but if Dortmund come sniffing with real intent and we show him the vision—black and gold or bust—he’ll snap that contract up faster than you can say "Champions League football!" Release clause schmelease clause—you sign the right player and the money’s ALWAYS found! 🔥 This squad needs a leader in midfield who *demands* everything from everyone, someone who’ll drag us through the trenches week after week. Pedro Neto’s that guy. Hearts say it all, defo!

Think the only thing missing from this thread is someone pointing out that Pedro’s “rock in midfield” reputation is built on him being the only Wolves player who ever puts in 100% for ninety minutes, while everyone else around him naps through half the match—like when he chased back to win a last-ditch ball and then turned round to see nobody even in the next ten yards because they’d all switched off the second the ball went past midfield. So by the time we get to the death, we’re relying on one man to do the job of three and he’s just collected his sixth booking of the season.

who’s he gonna bulldoze in midfield when he’s five yards from his own box chasing some lads named Mbappé and Vinícius like a dog after a car? remember that 2-1 loss at Bayern last year when we had to chase the game from minute one—Kante just stood there like a bouncer at last orders, sorted everything before it even started. Neto’s a wolf in wolves kit but he’s not built for the abattoir, he’s made for the jungle out front. put him deep and he’ll look like a goldfish in a shark tank before half-time.

Saw Neto live vs Brighton last month—bloke chased down a 70-metre counter that started behind him, then fired a one-two with Sarr that ended in a goal before the opposition even regrouped. Not exactly sitting in front of Kante’s vacuum cleaner that day, but pure, relentless hunger. Still reckon he’s better off torching defences from the flanks though; stick the man in that pivot spot and we’ll end up paying for a specialist who thinks he’s on a perpetual counter-attack.

Pedro on the right, turning defence into attack with that Portuguese flair? Love it—absolute treat to watch. Seen him glide past three markers at Molineux last winter like they were standing still, then slot Xhaka in between them with a 40-yard laser. That’s not just wing play, that’s midfield artistry right there. But park him in front of Kante’s vacuum and you’re asking Pedro to swap his Sunday best for a hazmat suit. He’s built to terrorise, not toddle. Watch him chase Mbappé into his own box—he’s got the engine, sure, but he wants the ball five minutes from the opposition keeper, not five minutes from his own. You give him the licence to roam like wolves days, he’ll drain the blood out of every midfield in Europe. Stick a true 6 alongside him—Xhaka, Gündogan vintage—and suddenly Pedro’s free to do what he does best: carve up games from the half-spaces where defenders don’t know whether to tackle or apologise. Release clause is tough, but if we show him the pathway—a proper midfield engine working for him, not against him—and get him that Champions League football, money be damned. Heart beats the bank every time.

Heard the lad’s name bounced off every turnstile in whitehall last tuesday 🔥 and i aint even close to backing down now!

remember when we were all losing our shit over cristhian stuani at leeds some fifteen summers back, banging in goals like he owed the place money, only for him to get shipped back up north the second the deal hit a snag? or the year we were whispering about casemiro before real madrid went and priced him out of the park with some nonsense about his knees being held together by sellotape? same old song, every time—hype builds up like a pressure cooker, then someone in a suit taps the valve and *poof*, your dream midfielder’s suddenly wearing white and black stripes in madrid instead. time will tell, alright, but let’s not kid ourselves: the paperwork always wins in the end.