Newcastle United are willing to trigger Gabri Veiga’s £33 million release clause while offering the Arsenal and Manchester City target a £85,000-a-week contract in the Premier League, according to AS.
Newcastle may have the backing of Saudi Arabian billionaires these days but their transfer policy remains largely similar to the one which underpinned the Mike Ashley era.
During those less-than heady days, the Magpies prioritised young, hungry players with the potential to improve exponentially. That, for the most part, remains pretty much unchanged. Though, as the signings of Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak prove, Newcastle are doing their shopping in Waitrose rather than Aldi these days.
20-year-old Veiga, arguably the most exciting young midfielder in Spain, would be a signing typical of Eddie Howe and sporting director Dan Ashworth. The Celta Vigo starlet is both technical and tenacious, while possessing the energy and bite required to thrive in English football.
No midfielder in La Liga, meanwhile, has more than his eight goals; Veiga possessing that almost Frank Lampard-esque ability to find pockets of space in and around the penalty area. Given Newcastle’s lack of goal threat, that could come in very handy.
Newcastle battling Arsenal and Man City for Gabri Veiga
“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. A midfielder with these numbers and these instincts in the opposition penalty area are pure gold. An outstanding player.”
AS reporter Manu Sainz believes that Veiga dreams of playing for Arsenal. A team who, under Mikel Arteta, may be best placed to get the very best out of a man who would continue the club’s tradition of wonderfully-gifted attacking midfielders.
It’s testament to Newcastle’s new-found ambition, however, that the Tynesiders can now go head-to-head with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Barcelona and co, while being confident of coming out on top.
Newcastle, AS add, are ‘willing’ to trigger Veiga’s £33 million clause. They also plan to offer him around £4.3m-a-year. Or, if you like, £85,000-a-week.
‘He’s a massive threat’
“Gabri Veiga is obviously a talent that’s getting better and better. He is going to be hard for Celta to keep,” Terry Gibson tells El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast.
“I think there is a big enough buy-out clause to stop other Spanish clubs buying him. But not other clubs in other places in Europe, notably the Premier League.
“He is an attacking midfielder, scores goals. A good player. When you’re on top, he’s got the ability to create and to score goals. If you are on top, you’ve got the ball and you’re attacking, he’s a massive threat.
“He has clearly come to the attention of other big clubs around Europe because he’s a really talented player. There are a lot of really good young players in La Liga, and he is one of the best.”
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