Who is Celta star Gabri Veiga? The goalscoring No.10 wanted by Chelsea, Barca and Liverpool

Now valued at €30m 

Spanish football is often dominated by Atletico Madrid, Barcelona or Real Madrid but on rare occasions a player from one of the nation’s other clubs can break through the trio’s tight grip on LaLiga and showcase his talents for all the world to see. And in the 2022/23 season that player was undoubtedly Gabri Veiga. 

At just 21 years of age, Veiga has emerged as a leading star for his boyhood club Celta Vigo and alongside a growing campaign to see him get called up to the Spain national team, the young attacking talent has also drawn a huge amount of attention from Europe’s biggest clubs. According to a recent report from the Guardian, Veiga is on the shopping list of Barcelona, Liverpool and Chelsea. And a quick look at the player’s performances this season would certainly explain why. 

What position does Gabri Veiga play?

What’s perhaps most evident about Veiga is that he’s capable of playing just about anywhere in the middle of the pitch. Over the course of the previous league campaign, the young star played as a central midfielder 21 times, as a No.10 on 10 occasions and even played up front as a centre forward in a clash with Athletic in late January. 

“He is a versatile midfielder,” notes Iván Fuente, Transfermarkt’s Content Manager for Spain, when asked about the young talent. “He has the ability and physical attributes to thrive in both areas, a kind of box-to-box midfielder. He has a great pass and his shot is very powerful. I think his favourite position is in front of the defensive midfielder.”

What makes Gabri Veiga so good? 

While Veiga may be able to play a number of positions, his stats certainly point to a player that much prefers scoring in the opposing box rather than trying to thwart goals in his own. Over the course of the 22/23 campaign, Veiga bagged no less than 11 goals and four assists in 36 LaLiga games. Not only was that the highest goal return for any midfielder in Spain’s top-flight last season, but Veiga also outperformed all others when it came to total number of shots on target over the course of the campaign, while finishing eighth among his peers when it came to successful dribbles. 

“He is not like Xavi or Iniesta, because he is not that kind of player who likes to ‘tiki-taka’ or constantly take the ball, he prefers direct play,” notes Fuente, when asked what kind of player Veiga is. “He has the intelligence to link up with his teammates and reads the game very well, but so far he has shown that he prefers a faster and more direct game. If I have to compare him to any player, he reminds me of Saúl when he was at Atlético in 2016, although Saúl is left-footed and Veiga is right-footed and better with the ball at his feet.” 

Could Gabri Veiga leave Celta this summer? 

Veiga’s remarkable rise over the past 12 months can be seen through his market value, which has shot up from just €1.5 million in June last year, to where it now stands at an impressive €30m. Which clocks in at an incredible 1900% increase in the less than 12 months. Indeed, in that period only four players from LaLiga have seen their market value increase by more than the Celta star and each of them either plays for Barcelona or Real Madrid. 

So will Veiga depart the club this summer? According to reports, the young talent has a release clause of €40m and as such would be something of a bargain for one of the interested clubs. However, as Fuente points out, there are reasons for the young star to stay put at his boyhood club for now. “Next year is Celta’s centenary and Veiga has been with the club since he was 11 years old and missing a year like that must be complicated after so many years at the club,” notes Fuente. “If he has a good offer, maybe he will end up leaving.” 

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