Details of potential €6m deal explained – why Chelsea let regular backup go and when he will return | OneFootball

When we were looking ahead to this January window, the last thing we expected was there to be a major saga involving Renato Veiga, but he’s ended up as the central figure of this window and the first move completed by Chelsea.

Considering all the players in the squad who have been up for sale since the summer (or longer) and all the players who rarely (if ever) play, the idea that a guy who only arrived in the summer and who plays a lot as a backup would be the first to go is somewhat surprising.

It doesn’t seem like Chelsea were particularly keen on letting him go either – he was providing exactly what they wanted at a very cheap price. But in the end the 18 games that Veiga played since his arrival in August weren’t enough, and the 21 year old has today agreed terms on a loan move to Juventus.

Veiga loan easy money for Chelsea – but a disruption to the squad

Renato Veiga playing for Chelsea.

The details of the deal, as reported by Simon Johnson for the Athletic, are interesting. The Serie A side will pay a €5m loan fee which could rise to €6m if Veiga hits various bonuses. That pays for almost half of the €14m that Chelsea paid Basel for him last summer, just to send him away for 6 months. Economically, it’s a no brainer.

Veiga is also confirmed to be returning in time for the Club World Cup in June.

But ultimately €6m is pocket change for Chelsea, and the disruption of losing a regular backup is not going to help Enzo Maresca whatsoever.

The reports earlier this month were that, if this deal were completed, Chelsea wouldn’t target a new backup for Marc Cucurella at left back. They would instead rely on the likes of Malo Gusto, Reece James and Levi Colwill to fill in for him.

That seems a risky move to us – we will see what happens in this remaining 10 days of the window.