What Chelsea fans can expect from Renato Veiga

Updated: 11 Jul 2024 10:31 BST
13 min read

Chelsea will complete the signing of Renato Veiga from FC Basel imminently, with the Blues hopeful that they have landed a transfer bargain.

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Fabrizio Romano has announced that Veiga has passed his medicals with the Stamford Bridge outfit and will complete a €14 million deal on a transfer that will run until 2032.

Veiga is Chelsea's response to being beaten to Riccardo Calafiori by Arsenal. He is a versatile left-sided defender who is expected to play primarily as a full-back while at Stamford Bridge.

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25

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2

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1

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The Blues appear to have struck a very shrewd deal, with Basel neither securing any potential add-ons nor even a sell-on percentage. Moreover, the Blues worked in complete secrecy with news of the transfer only filtering through after everything had been agreed.

Strangely, then, this seems like a move Chelsea fans should be getting incredibly excited about given the way the club went about it, but this does not appear to be the case. Many on social media showed themselves to be quite underwhelmed by the impending arrival of the 20-year-old.

However, there is a good reason why Chelsea signed Veiga.

Veiga's versatility

A Portuguese youth international, Veiga arrives at Stamford Bridge with a mixed reputation. An eminently talented youngster, he floundered on loan at Augsburg in the latter half of the 2022/23 season and was subsequently offloaded by Sporting CP to Basel.

However, in Switzerland, Veiga managed to revive his still-young career, featuring prominently as a defensive midfielder. Yet Veiga is also capable of playing in defence, both on the left as well as centrally.

And this is precisely why Chelsea signed him. They believe that the Portugal U21 international's long-term future lies at full-back. The Blues' desire to add a young, left-footed defender has been much talked about in recent weeks and Veiga potentially plugs several gaps.

In a way, he is a budget Calafiori. In fact, Veiga was the Italian's replacement at Basel last summer. Chelsea had been looking at the 22-year-old Bologna star, but Arsenal moved quickly to agree terms with him and are now closing in on his acquisition.

READ MORE: Latest Chelsea transfer rumours

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Chelsea thus went and got the next best thing. As The Athletic points out, Veiga is essentially a year behind Calafiori in his development, but there is a hope at Stamford Bridge that he can perhaps reach similar heights, which would mean that the Blues secured him before his value exploded.

It is claimed that coach Enzo Maresca was pushing for Veiga's signing and the 20-year-old is seen as an ideal fit for the Italian's system. Due to Veiga's extensive experience playing as a defensive midfielder, it is thought that he is perfectly suited to the role of an inverted left-back who steps into the centre of the park to create overloads.

Marc Cucurella did an adequate job in that role already under Mauricio Pochettino, but Veiga is a more physical player, standing at a whopping 190cm (6ft3in). Moreover, despite his stature, Veiga is also a very capable player on the ball.

He didn't show much of this during his short time in Germany, where he looked nervous and uncomfortable in possession, but he has matured a lot after a season as a starter in Basel.

Despite being a defensive player, Veiga is not afraid to dribble past opponents and take risks. This, naturally, sometimes backfires, but it is also what can be a real difference for a team trying to play an ambitious and modern style, which is, of course, exactly why Chelsea hired Maresca.

Renato Veiga compared to other Swiss Super League midfielders

Potential downsides

However, there are reservations. Because Veiga is still not as advanced in his development as Calafiori, who is expected to slot right into Arsenal's already-stacked side, Maresca will have to assess him in pre-season.

The coach will then make a decision on whether the Portuguese is to be integrated into the senior team straight away or whether a loan move is required first. It could be difficult making the step up from the Swiss Super League to the Premier League.

Moreover, given what he showed at Augsburg, there is a potential concern that he could struggle to cope with the mental side of the game. If he looked anxious playing for a middling German side, that issue could reappear while faced with the pressure of playing for one of the world's biggest.

That said, it looks a very good, low-risk, high-reward piece of business from Chelsea and the kind of deal the Blues will surely look to do more of this summer and in upcoming windows after being burned several times from profligately splashing the cash.

Read more about: Premier League, Super League, Basel, Chelsea, Renato Veiga