Why Renato Veiga is joining Juventus on loan six months after Chelsea transfer
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6083712/2025/01/24/renato-veiga-Chelsea-transfer-loan-juventus-analysis/
For those wondering why Renato Veiga wanted to leave Chelsea on loan for Juventus in January only six months after arriving at Stamford Bridge from Basel in a €14million deal, part of the answer can be found with a glance at the fixture list.
Chelsea play 10 matches between Saturday’s trip to take on Manchester City and the March international break. Seven of those 10 are currently slated to be in the Premier League — the competition in which Veiga has started just once this season and played 177 minutes in total. His last league appearance was at Tottenham seven weeks ago — and was only as a substitute in the 89th minute.
Realistically, only the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Brighton on February 8, the FA Cup fifth round — if Chelsea get there — and the two-legged Conference League round-of-16 tie in early March offered Veiga a chance of significant first-team minutes before Roberto Martinez picks his Portugal squad for the Nations League quarter-final against Denmark.
That is a critical consideration for Veiga, who started for Martinez as a left-sided centre-back in both of Portugal’s group matches in the Nations League, against Poland and Croatia, in November. According to sources close to the player, who spoke anonymously to protect relationships, he is keen to give himself the best possible chance to establish himself in the position ahead of the Nations League knockout stage and the 2026 World Cup.
Events in January crystallised the reality that Veiga would not get that particular opportunity at Stamford Bridge under Enzo Maresca. Significant injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile left Chelsea’s squad worryingly light at centre-back. But after checking on Crystal Palace’s valuation of Marc Guehi, the club instead opted to recall Trevoh Chalobah from his loan spell at Selhurst Park to provide the Italian with another experienced option.
Veiga has been trialled by Maresca at left-sided centre-back only twice, in Conference League victories over Panathinaikos and Shamrock Rovers, while Levi Colwill has established himself as one of Chelsea’s most consistent starters in the position in the Premier League. The bulk of the Portugal international’s minutes have come as an inverted left-back in the Italian’s system, as well as a couple of starts in defensive midfield.
Veiga wants to establish himself for Portugal (Damir Sencar/AFP via Getty Images)
“I had a chat with Renato,” Maresca said when asked about his use of Veiga in a press conference earlier this month. “In terms of playing in the position that he is playing with us, that gave him the chance to join the national team and also probably the chance to get this speculation around him. That means clubs are looking for him. Clubs look for players that are doing well, not that are doing badly.
“If there is a player who just wants to play in just one position, they are going to struggle. They have to adapt, they have to learn to play in different positions, which is a good thing for the team.”
There is no suggestion of any issues between Veiga and Maresca, who cited a “technical decision” to omit the 21-year-old from his matchday squad against Wolves on Monday as his loan move to Juventus gathered momentum.
Nor is Veiga unhappy at Chelsea. On the contrary, he has settled well into life in London, enjoys working at Cobham and still believes Stamford Bridge is where his long-term future — his contract runs until June 2031, with a club option to extend for a further year — ultimately lies.
But once major European clubs signalled an interest in taking him on loan as a regular starter, Veiga’s short-term thinking began to change. Borussia Dortmund were the first to make a strong push, but the landscape then shifted with the sacking of Nuri Sahin. Marseille were also loan suitors, while other clubs made proposals to buy him.
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Chelsea’s initial position was that only a sale would be sanctioned in January, but Veiga made it clear he did not want to leave the club permanently or as part of any loan agreement that included an option to buy. After several conversations between the parties, the club’s stance softened to consider a straight loan if certain playing and economic conditions were met.
Juventus made the most compelling pitch: a loan fee of €5million ($5.21m) with a possible €1m in bonuses, regular game time between now and May, and a return to Chelsea in time for the start of the Club World Cup, which begins in mid-June. Thiago Motta also spoke to his camp to explain the role he’d play in his squad.
Veiga has featured infrequently in the Premier League (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Veiga will most likely fill a void in the heart of Juventus coach Thiago Motta’s defence created by the ACL injury suffered by Brazil international Bremer in October and the imminent departure of Danilo. He will have a chance to learn and prove himself at a club and in a league with a formidable defensive tradition. He’ll also get the opportunity to test himself in the Champions League. The aim is for him to complete a medical and be registered in time to make his Serie A debut against Napoli on Saturday.
Juventus’ willingness to pay the sizeable loan fee did not just satisfy Chelsea, it also helped reassure Veiga that he will have a big role to play in Turin — a message that was reiterated to him after the loan deal was verbally agreed on Wednesday. He hopes to be picked primarily at centre-back but will happily play wherever he is needed.
Game time is his top priority and he appreciates Chelsea’s decision to allow him to leave on loan to get it. A source close to Veiga said he is fully aware of how fortunate he is to play for two of Europe’s biggest clubs in less than a year.
Chelsea have no plans to sign an alternative left-back in January despite Veiga’s departure. Reece James and Malo Gusto have both started on the left of Maresca’s back four in the Premier League this season and with Marc Cucurella firmly established as the first choice for the games that matter, there is no shortage of viable options in that area of the pitch.
The hope on all sides is that Veiga will return to Chelsea this summer as a more experienced and well-rounded player, capable of playing a bigger role for Maresca. But even if the Juventus loan is less than a resounding success, there is a fair chance it will increase the value of a footballer whose relative obscurity back in July was reflected in his low transfer fee.
