Now here’s something we didn’t expect to see on a Monday morning.
Renato Veiga was signed as a squad player by Chelsea in the summer, and that’s exactly what he’s been.. He’s been an ever present in the cups and Conference League (we expect him to start this weekend against Morecambe, for sure) at left back and in midfield, with some minutes at centre back too.
He was a cheap £12m buy and is doing just what we wanted from him – filling in multiple positions in the B team. He’s played just 176 minutes of league action – but that’s not what he was bought for.
Given the circumstances – how recently he arrived, how much he seems to be enjoying his move to a top team, his progress to becoming a Portugal regular despite not playing in the Premier League much – we didn’t expect to see any rumours about an exit. In a year or two maybe, but this feels early.
Still, there they are. The Daily Mirror reports that Veiga is wanted by both Stuttgart from the Bundesliga and Napoli.
Only one thing might tempt Chelsea into selling versatile new arrival already
Imagine you’re Veiga and Napoli come calling. They are top of Serie A and look to have a great chance to win the title. They promise you you’ll be a key player for them. It would be tempting, right? Given Chelsea got him cheap, Napoli might even offer you a wage rise.
We can see why Veiga might be tempted, despite his good progress at Chelsea. But we just can’t see the Blues sanctioning any move for the former Basel man. He’s too handy to have in this squad, and we want to minimise disruption at this point in the campaign.
That would change if we were made an offer that allows us to make a major profit on the £12m we paid – but that feels unlikely for a January switch.
