Manchester City and Liverpool transfer target Gabri Veiga is set to snub the Sky Blues in favour of a move to Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, according to a tweet from journalist Fabrizio Romano.
In Romano’s tweet, he wrote: “Gabri Veiga to Al Ahli, here we go! Bid accepted by Celta, player also said yes. Coach Jaissle was crucial for Veiga to accept. Al Ahli sign their secret top target. Saudi side want to invest on world best talents — and now they also got the gem Gabri Veiga.”
Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos has expressed his disappointment in the transfer – he commented on Romano’s Instagram post where he reported the deal, simply writing: ‘Embarrassing’.
How would Gabri Veiga have fitted into the Manchester City squad?
Had Veiga chosen to join Manchester City instead of Al Ahli, he likely would not have enjoyed a massive amount of first team football – Pep Guardiola has a propensity for signing young players from Europe, but he does not always throw them into the senior squad immediately.
An attacking midfielder by trade, Veiga would have probably been re-trained as a central midfielder – he could have been used as an understudy to Kevin De Bruyne in his particular role.
Guardiola tends to play with a midfield three – one defensive midfielder and two central midfielders. As such, Veiga may not have been the best fit for the Citizens after all.
Which other top players have chosen to join Saudi Arabia in the transfer window?
The 2023 summer transfer window has been a real watershed moment for the Saudi Pro League, as several top players from across Europe have begun their exodus to the Middle East.
Experienced superstars such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy have all taken the plunge – but younger talents have also begun to move there. As such, Veiga is far from an exception at this stage.
Jota, Roger Ibanez and Allan Saint-Maximin have all yet to hit their footballing primes – it seems that they will experience them in Saudi Arabia, following their big money moves to the Saudi Pro League in the ongoing transfer window.