When highlighting Gabri Veiga’s attributes after yet another outstanding La Liga display, Celta Viga coach Carlos Carvalhal focused not his rapid footwork or lethal finishing ability, but upon his timing.
“He’s different,” the former Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City boss tells El Pais. “He has the ability to see when he has to break into the rival penalty box.”
The likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes made one hell of a career out of timing those penalty-area bursts to perfection. And, during Celta Vigo’s 3-0 thumping of Real Valladolid on Saturday, Veiga took his tally of goals to eight for the season with a brace that would not look out of place in a Lampard highlight reel.
Firstly, he snaffled up a loose ball like a Jack Russell pouncing on a slice of steak falling from a dinner plate; lashing home first time. For his second, 20-year-old Veiga slammed in instinctively after latching onto a clever pull-back.
‘Outstanding’
“His physical development has greatly influenced his career. He had a great development in the youth team; he became very powerful and very strong,” Carlos Hugo Bayon, director of the Celta academy, tells AS.
“That has helped him play his type of football; ‘box to box’, as they say in England. He has a wild value. A midfielder with these numbers and these instincts in the opposition penalty area are pure gold.
“He was an outstanding player (in the academy). But I remember a specific moment that caught my attention. It was a goal against Santa Marina. He produced a spectacular action in which he brought together the compendium of all his virtues.
“First, his tactical intelligence. Then, his power and technique.”
Arsenal are reportedly confident of signing Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga
With a £35 million release clause in his Celta contract, Veiga’s loyalty to his boyhood club is set to be tested to the limits over the coming months. Manchester United, Barcelona and Newcastle are among those who have scouted the Spain U21 international. But, according to Faro de Vigo, there is a confidence at Arsenal that Veiga – included in the La Roja squad for this month’s internationals – will end up at the Premier League leaders instead.
Some debate remains around his best, most effective position. But should Veiga follow in the footsteps of fellow Spaniard Cesc Fabregas, he will most certainly find himself in direct competition with Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and £34 million summer signing Fabio Vieira. Most of his outings this term have come in attacking midfield or wide on the right.
Trying to oust Odegaard from Mikel Arteta’s XI would be like trying to prise a particularly stubborn limpet from a rock. Vieira, however, would probably rather not see Veiga arrive, increased competition the last thing he needs after finding minutes increasingly hard to come by in recent months. Vieira has played just 43 minutes of Premier League football since the Qatar World Cup.
Arteta ‘doesn’t have faith’ in Fabio Vieira
“Arteta, he looks at £34 million Vieira on his bench. And he doesn’t bring him on,” Gary Neville told Sky Sports following January’s stalemate with Newcastle United. “So he doesn’t have faith that he’s going to improve the team that was out there.
“Mikel obviously thought he would’ve weakened the side by bringing him on.”
Arteta recently labelled Vieira a ‘huge talent’, though his lack of physicality is starting to become an issue in a country renowned for it’s footballing intensity. But, as Carlos Hugo Bayon will tell you, physicality is never something Gabri Veiga has struggled with.
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