Gabri Veiga would be seduced by Arsenal’s project
|Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga would choose Arsenal over Newcastle United this summer, according to Mundo Deportivo (Page 17).
The Spaniard has had an impressive breakthrough season with Celta and he has already been touted to pursue a bigger challenge elsewhere.
Arsenal and Newcastle are willing to trigger his €40m release clause, but it is reported that he would be seduced by the option of joining Mikel Arteta’s project.
Real Madrid are also admirers of the 20-year-old, but they are only willing to pay €26m up front and don’t plan to activate the buy-out clause.
Celta are clear that they won’t sell Veiga this summer unless they receive €40m in a single payment.
Will Arsenal sign Gabri Veiga this summer?
Veiga has registered nine goals and three assists from 25 league games this season and he has been particularly impressive since the turn of the year.
The Spaniard can operate in the number eight and number 10 positions, but he is more of an attacking midfielder rather than a defensive one.
Looking at this aspect, Arsenal have players with similar attributes in Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe as well as Fabio Vieira, who signed last summer.
Hence, a move for Veiga would be a surprise, considering he lacks the control to play in central midfield.
The 20-year-old has caught the eye with his attacking contributions but distribution wise, he has averaged just 16 passes per game with a 79% accuracy.
In our opinion, the Gunners should avoid pursuing a deal for the Spaniard and the focus should rather be on landing a ball-playing central midfielder.
Moises Caicedo or Declan Rice would be perfect for Arsenal with their strong distribution skills but they could both cost a club-record fee this summer.
Stats from Sofascore.com