It’s official! Chelsea have their first bargain-buy of the Clearlake era

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 4 Oct 2024 17:56 BST
• 4 min read

The Clearlake Capital era at Chelsea has been far from straightforward, but the club currently appears to be in a fairly stable position on the pitch.

After an incredibly shaky pre-season, the pressure on Enzo Maresca began mounting immediately, but he has now guided the Blues to five consecutive victories, while they are only two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after six matches.

It must be noted that Chelsea are far from perfect and their season could easily be curtailed by a frighteningly high number of sloppy goals conceded. However, things are looking extremely promising, despite the turmoil behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.

READ MORE: Romano drops transfer update on 'really appreciated' Chelsea star

One extremely unique quirk about Chelsea’s start to the 2024-25 season is their clear A and B team.

In a manner that almost mirrors the structure of grassroots football, Chelsea have two completely separate XIs; one plays in the Premier League and the other is used for cup competitions.

Of course, there is some fluidity between the teams, especially regarding substitutions, but Maresca has a clear differentiation between the two sets of players.

READ MORE: Chelsea boss Maresca makes Arsenal admission

While this structure has rarely been seen in football history, it’s currently working for Chelsea and their expensively-assembled ‘B team’ are getting the job done.

Joao Felix, Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk and Pedro Neto cost a combined €242 million, and form Chelsea’s second-string frontline, but it’s Renato Veiga who has caught the eye the most during the opening weeks of the new season.

Renato Veiga - Chelsea’s latest star

The 21-year-old joined Chelsea from Basel for a measly €14m in July and that fee already looks like a complete bargain.

Capable of playing at centre-back, left-back or in central midfield, Veiga has largely been deployed as Marc Cucurella’s back-up, with the Portuguese star playing 90 minutes in each of Chelsea’s four cup games so far this term.

Standing at 6ft 3in, Veiga is a hugely presence in the air, and he combines his physical size with immense technical proficiency and match intelligence.

His start to life at Chelsea has been quietly impressive and he hit new heights during the Blues’ 4-2 win over Gent in the Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.

The ex-Basel star scored his first Chelsea goal on the night, with a neat header at the back post, while he grabbed an assist for Nkunku’s seventh goal of the season in the second-half.

During the match, Veiga also completed four key passes and two dribbles, in addition to making two interceptions, two clearances, one tackle and winning three of his four attempted ground duels.

It was an all-action performance from a player who has quickly and seamlessly adapted to life in England.

Current ETV

Renato Veiga

DM, M, D (C)

Chelsea

Renato Veiga

DM, M, D (C)

Chelsea

€1.9M

ETV Range

€1.4M - €2.4M

View full profile

While Cucurella is unlikely to be displaced anytime soon, Chelsea have a more than capable back-up on their hands, and their approach to Ben Chilwell’s situation at the club now makes slightly more sense given Veiga’s rise to prominence.

Chelsea have spent an absurd amount of money on new players over the past few years, but Veiga may genuinely be their first successful ‘bargain-buy.’

Of course, Cole Palmer at €47m has proven to be a monumental steal, while Nicolas Jackson (€37m) has also been value-for-money, but Chelsea still required a fairly significant investment to sign them both.

Veiga, on the other hand, was a complete snip at under €15m.