Chelsea are one of the busiest English teams in the transfer window. The Blues have been heavy spenders in the recent transfer windows. They have recruited quite a few young players to build a strong team for the future. Chelsea brought a few young midfielders for a heavy price in the last couple of seasons. World Cup winner, Enzo Fernandez joined the club for a huge fee. Moises Caicedo came to London last summer for a record fee.
With a new manager in the town, the Blues are aiming to add a few more players to the team. According to various news sources, Chelsea have agreed to bring in a young Portuguese midfielder in the coming days. FC Basel’s midfielder Renato Veiga is set to join the Blues in the coming days. The 20-year-old enjoyed a first full season with the Swiss side. He is a highly-rated youngster who could add new dynamism to the team. Let’s take a look at why Chelsea are attracted towards this young talent.
Breakthrough with Basel
Renato Veiga graduated from Sporting CP’s academy in 2022. He was loaned out to German club FC Augsburg in the 2022-23 season. The youngster was involved in 13 games. For more game time, he decided to leave the Portuguese club and signed for Swiss side FC Basel.
The above pizza chart shows the percentile rank in comparison to other left central-midfielders in Tier 2,3 and 4 of league football. Veiga is highly rated in the possession department and for his defensive work. The pizza chart also indicates that Veiga was one of the top performers combined in all three divisions.
Renato covers a lot of areas on the field. He can go wide on occasion and get involved in plays. The heatmap also indicates that Veiga gave a lot of defensive cover to his teammates at the back.
One area where the young Portuguese will look to improve is in his discipline. Renato has given away plenty of fouls and these could be costly in big matches. Despite contesting and winning most of the defensive actions, this is an area where the youngster will look to work upon.
The above plot assesses the player’s defensive involvement and effectiveness, which is crucial for wing-backs and wingers who track back. Veiga is rated among the best for winning his defensive duels. His contributions to the defence are a big positive for the Blues.
Creative aspect
Renato Veiga was highly rated for his passing abilities. His progressive passes show his vision and range of passes. The youngster has attempted a few diagonals to find a teammate in attacking areas inside the opposition penalty box.
This plot reflects the player’s skill in delivering progressive passes, a critical aspect of breaking down defences. It is visible that the youngster was the best in the league.
The above plot reflects the player’s skill in delivering precise passes into the penalty area, a critical aspect of breaking down defences. This is an area of improvement for the 20-year-old.
Chelsea could expect a goal or two from their transfer target. Renato attempts his shots from a long-range and his shots can find the back of the net.
It will be interesting to see how the youngster fits into his new team.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
