While Fernandez’s exit looks increasingly likely, Pedro Neto finds himself in a similarly precarious position. Several heavyweight Premier League rivals are monitoring the Portuguese winger, who was deployed in an unfamiliar wing-back role against Brighton.
Despite the speculation, Neto delivered a standout performance, finding the back of the net and posing a constant threat. When pressed on whether the forward would definitely remain in west London, Alonso refused to make any concrete promises.
“No, in football I don’t guarantee anything, not anyone,” Alonso admitted. “But I was very happy with Pedro. He did really well, he played with a lot of energy. He is going to be very important for the team for the whole season because he has different special qualities.
“He is a threat in one-v-one, he attacks very well in the space, he is strong, he is competitive. I am happy that he scored, he was really close to scoring another one. I am very happy with Pedro.”