da fazobetai： Basel's young jack-of-all-trades has completed his transfer to Stamford Bridge, but what can fans expect?

da 888： Chelsea are staying true to their newly-established transfer policy as they double down on only going after high-potential, good value young players, with Basel's Portugal Under-21 international Renato Veiga having become their latest addition after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu and Omari Kellymanarrived at Stamford Bridge in recent weeks.

The 20-year-old completed a €14 million (£12m/$15m) move from the Swiss giants on Friday as new head coach Enzo Maresca targets versatile players who will fit his tactical system, either now or in the future.

A defensive midfielder by trade, Veiga arrives with less than two seasons of senior club football under his belt, but despite that he is viewed as perfect for Maresca's approach. So what's his story and how will he fit? GOAL has you covered…

GettyWhere it all began

The son of former Cape Verde international Nelson Veiga, Renato was born in Lisbon in 2003. Following in Cristiano Ronaldo's footsteps, he would join Sporting CP's famed academy in 2010, spending three years there before continuing his development at Real Sport Clube in Queluz on the outskirts of Portugal's capital.

It would be six years before Veiga returned to Sporting, swiftly progressing from the U17 team to the reserves as he was thrown in alongside players well above his age group. He made his debut for the B team in September 2020, scoring his first goal a few weeks later.

However, despite his swift progress, first-team opportunities would be hard to come by under Ruben Amorim, although he was included in a Champions League squad to face Manchester City in 2022 without making it onto the grass. "We have to think carefully about the moments when we release the kids," Amorim said at the time. "Renato Veiga is here because we have a few midfielders [out] at the moment. Just being here with the first team helps the children grow."

AdvertisementThe big break

Having failed to make a first-team breakthrough by the time he turned 19, Veiga was loaned to Bundesliga side Augsburg in January 2023 in a one-year deal that included an option to buy. However, while he made his professional debut and was afforded plenty of minutes across 13 appearances, he failed to impress and the loan was cut short in the summer.

This proved to be the crucial juncture in his career to date; rather than keep hold of him, Veiga was sold to Basel for €4.6m (£4m/$5m) – Sporting's biggest-ever sale for a player who was yet to make their debut for the club, with a 10 percent sell-on clause also secured. "I came as a boy… with hair longer than my body. I leave as a grown man, with so much still to do. Words are not enough to express my immense gratitude to this enormous institution," Veiga said in his farewell message.

The defensive midfielder would make an immediate impact for the Swiss club in what would prove to be a challenging 2023-24 campaign for the serial title challengers; on debut against FC Zurich, Veiga curled home a brilliant free-kick to spark a comeback from two goals down as Basel snatched a draw. He was named Swiss Super League Player of the Week and the strike ultimately earned Basel's Goal of the Season award.

GettyHow it's going

Veiga would emerge as a key player for Basel as a versatile midfield enforcer while they toiled at the wrong end of the table. Despite being defensive-minded, he collected an assist and scored again in an important run of results between December and January.

However, the second half of his season would be curtailed by a suspension for a red card for a reckless challenge against St Gallen and an ankle sprain, which saw him sit out the relegation play-offs as his team-mates secured survival in his absence.

While he has established himself as a starter at club level, his international career has progressed, too. Having risen through the age grades and captained the U20s, Veiga is now a starter for Portugal's U21s, playing every minute of European Championship qualifying so far.

Biggest strengths

It's not difficult to see how Veiga has caught the eye – after all, he's pretty hard to miss. Standing at 6'3, the nest of curly hair on his head makes him an even more imposing figure. Unsurprisingly, his towering physique makes him an aerial duel specialist and a threat from set-pieces.

You'd normally expect someone of his stature to be a lumbering lump whose only job is to crash into tackles and win aerial duels, but Veiga is the embodiment of the old adage 'good feet for a big man'. His technique is easy on the eye and he backs himself to best his opponent anywhere on the pitch with his footwork and physicality.

The midfielder's confidence in his own footballing ability means he is more than comfortable receiving the ball deep from his goalkeeper or centre-backs on his preferred left foot and turning to progress play, either through long passing or a driving run.

Perhaps Veiga's greatest asset, though, is his versatility; nominally a defensive midfielder, he is also comfortable at left-back or as a ball-playing centre-back – something that seems to have piqued transfer interest.