Pedro Neto could miss Chelsea's Club World Cup quarter-final after death of Diogo Jota
The Liverpool forward died on Thursday following a car crash in Spain, leaving the football world in shock and a state of mourning.
Neto, who played alongside Jota during their time together at Wolves, has not trained with the Blues on the eve of their Club World Cup last eight fixture.
And manager Enzo Maresca has now revealed that he will grant compassionate leave to the player, should he want to sit out the match.
The Blues face the Brazilian outfit on Friday evening (2am Saturday UK) at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Maresca said: 'It's a very sad day. I struggle to find words because it's very difficult, the feeling that you have is of helplessness in this kind of situation.
'The only thing I can say is all my love to his family, the people in this moment. It's a big tragedy for them.
'In terms of Pedro it is very sad, probably more than sad.
'It's completely Pedro's decision. I had a chat with Pedro and we support him. Any decision he will take is the correct one.
'It doesn't matter if he'll be on the pitch or not. We'll see how he is feeling but, in any case, we're going to support him.'
The game could see Chelsea come up against the teenage Brazilian forward Estevao Willian, who is due to join them after the tournament.
The highly-rated 18-year-old agreed a move to Stamford Bridge last year and the current competition in the United States is his final assignment with Palmeiras.
Maresca said: 'When we prepare for games, we prepare thinking about the team, not the players that are on the other side, and we have done exactly the same in this game.
'We prepare for the game against Palmeiras, not against Estevao. In this moment he is a Palmeiras player.
'We don't care if in the future he will be with us when this competition is finished. The only thing we are focused on is doing our best to try to beat Palmeiras.'
Chelsea have a fitness doubt over Romeo Lavia due to a muscular injury and fellow midfielder Moises Caicedo is suspended.
Forward Joao Pedro could make his debut after completing his £60million move from Brighton earlier this week.
Maresca said: 'Joao's situation is a bit strange or different because he was on holiday. Even if he was working it is not the same when you work for yourself, compared with when you work with the team.
'But we are very happy with Joao. In the last two days he worked with us. We'll see if we need him and if we have a chance to give him some minutes we're going to give him some minutes.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Transfer latest: Nico Williams signs eight-year contract extension at Athletic Bilbao
Arsenal's hopes of one day signing Nico Williams have taken a blow after the Spain forward agreed an eight-year contract extension to stay at Athletic Bilbao until 2035. Mikel Arteta is a long-term admirer of Williams and Arsenal's sporting director, Andrea Berta, held talks with the player's representatives this year over a potential move. The 22-year-old had looked set to join Barcelona until this week. Barcelona, despite the sales of Ansu Fati to Monaco and Clement Lenglet to Atlético Madrid this week, have yet to satisfy La Liga's financial requirements to register new players. Williams is also understood to have had interest from Bayern Munich but opted to sign a 10-year deal with his hometown club that includes a more than 50% increase in his £58m release clause. 'The most important thing is to listen to your heart,' Williams said. 'I am where I want to be, with my people, this is my home.' Arsenal are expected to step up their interest in Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze after meeting his representatives last week and have been sounding out other potential attacking reinforcements. Real Madrid's Rodrygo is thought to be valued at £85m and reports in Spain have indicated that the Brazilian would be allowed to leave if there is a suitable offer. Noni Madueke of Chelsea would be a cheaper option and Arsenal are understood to have enquired about the England forward during talks over the signing of Kepa Arrizabalaga. Madueke is thought to be willing to follow the Spain goalkeeper and could be available for about £40m, although Chelsea value the 23-year-old at £50m and he has interest from other Premier League clubs. Newcastle's Anthony Gordon is also on Arsenal's shortlist. Arsenal have confirmed that they have reached a mutual agreement with Takehiro Tomiyasu to end his contract. The Japan defender played only six minutes last season and is expected to be sidelined until the end of the year after a knee operation in February. The 26-year-old had another season to run on his deal. Jonathan David is poised to join Juventus after his contract with Lille expired. The Canada forward had been linked with Tottenham and West Ham among others but arrived in Turin to complete his medical on Friday and is expected to sign a five-year deal. Sunderland and Leeds are targeting Chelsea's Djordje Petrovic or Lyon's Lucas Perri as they aim to bolster their goalkeeping ranks after promotion. Talks have been held and the most likely outcome is that one will end up at each club. Leeds are seeking a replacement for Ilian Meslier after he was dropped in favour of Karl Darlow in the run-in after a poor run of form. Petrovic spent last season on loan at Strasbourg, helping Liam Rosenior's side qualify for Europe. He asked to be left out of Chelsea's Club World Cup squad. Lyon are in a difficult position after being relegated to Ligue 2 over financial issues, pending an appeal, leaving them vulnerable to bids. The uncapped Perri, who had a loan with Crystal Palace in 2019, joined Lyon midway through last season from Botafogo and replaced Anthony Lopes as the No 1. Sunderland are eager to recruit experienced competition for Anthony Patterson. They have turned their attention to the other goalkeepers after missing out on Marcin Bulka. The club agreed a fee with Nice for Bulka but the 25-year-old Poland international decided to join the Saudi Pro League side Neom.
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Touching moment ex-Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson lays flowers for Diogo Jota – as family gathers for star's funeral
FORMER Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was seen weeping as he laid flowers and paid his respects to Diogo Jota. Touching pictures shared by the Liverpool Football Club show an emotional Henderson mourning the loss of his former teammate outside the Anfield Stadium. 5 5 5 5 The ex-Liverpool skipper is one of the many footie stars to have mourned the loss of the Jota, who tragically lost his life in a horror crash yesterday. Henderson and Jota played together at Liverpool between September 2020 and June 2023. Meanwhile, Jota's grieving wife was consoled by relatives amid emotional scenes at his funeral chapel today. Rute Cardoso - who married the Liverpool ace just 11 days earlier - arrived at Sao Cosme Chapel in his home town of Gondomar near Porto, northern Portugal, early this morning. Rute, the 28-year-old mum of the striker's three young children, returned with her partner's body after his car smash death in Spain alongside his footballer brother Andre Silva, 25. Gondomar townsfolk gathered yesterday, sporting football shirts and carrying floral tributes as a shrine grew at a nearby sports club. Kop idol Jota, 28, died instantly when his hired acid green £210,000 Lamborghini supercar suffered a suspected tyre blowout and crashed in a fireball on the A52 highway in Zamora province, northern Spain. The brothers were killed instantly in the horror en route to the Spanish port city of Santander to catch a ferry to the UK after the Portugal star was urged not to travel by plane following lung surgery. Their distraught mother Isabel and their grandfather were also spotted at the chapel this morning. Tearful family members were seen hugging each other before walking together towards the chapel. What we know so far: The wake proper is set to start around 4pm, with Portugal's president Marcelo de Sousa among those arriving to pay respects. Crowds began gathering on Thursday night near the chapel - the Capela da Ressurreicao on the outskirts of Porto - and applauded as the brothers' coffins arrived at 11.30pm. A funeral ceremony will take place next door at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar at 10am on Saturday. It is unclear whether tomorrow's proceedings will be open to the public. The sad homecoming came less than 24 hours after the deaths - in keeping with Portuguese tradition to hold wakes and funerals promptly. Tributes have been flooding in Cristiano Ronaldo, former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and current Reds boss Arne Slot.
South Wales Argus
27 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Gary Lineker and Anthony Joshua among famous faces in Royal Box at Wimbledon
The football pundit and former world heavyweight boxing champion were photographed entering the grounds ahead of British tennis star Emma Raducanu's highly anticipated clash with world number one Aryna Sabalenka. Anthony Joshua with Eddie Hearn at Wimbledon (Andrew Matthews/PA) Joshua posed for cameras alongside his longtime promoter Eddie Hearn, with the pair wearing near-matching cream blazers. They were joined by former Great British Bake Off star Dame Mary Berry, physicist Professor Brian Cox and astronaut Major Tim Peake among the day's invited guests. Dame Mary Berry attending day five of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships (Ben Whitley/PA) Centre Court will host three third-round ties, with Raducanu and Sabalenka leading the schedule, followed by Carlos Alcaraz versus Jan-Lennard Struff and Taylor Fritz versus Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Highs of 26C are forecast in SW19, with sunhats and umbrellas again on display as spectators queued for ground passes early on Friday morning. Elsewhere, Portuguese doubles player Francisco Cabral wore a black ribbon on court after the All England Club relaxed its strict all-white dress code to allow tributes to Diogo Jota, the Liverpool forward who died in a car crash on Thursday.
