Celta Vigo have struggled in the 2022/23 season. Their inconsistency has them just 1 point above the relegation zone with one game left. After a disastrous start to the current season, manager Eduardo Coudet was relieved of his duties in November 2022.
Carlos Carvalhal took over the reins of the struggling club immediately after his sacking and in that process, both Celta and Carvalhal found a gem in Gabri Veiga. The talented attacking midfielder made sporadic appearances under Coudet but under Carvalhal he took his game to another level.
Veiga was tasked with the job of replacing one of Celta’s former main players – Brais Mendez. Veiga stepped up to the job and became his natural successor. The Spanish attacking midfielder has had a brilliant campaign and is even better when considering that it is his first full debut season. Experts and fans have compared him with another former Spanish midfielder. – Juan Mata.
His elegance on the ball is very much similar to the former Chelsea star. He is able to make a massive difference in the final third and is gifted with qualities that a modern-day attacking midfielder should have.
Elite clubs have been after him for a while now, and FootTheBall analyses what makes him so special.
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Gabri Veiga analysis
Gabriel ‘Gabri’ Veiga is a Cleta Vigo Academy graduate. Although he has yet to stamp his authority in La Liga, Veiga has lots of potential to reach exceptional heights. Since Veiga is a left-footed player, he often gets carried away on the right side of the pitch.
Due to being able to cut back from his stronger left foot, Veiga drifts on the right side of the field. Another noticeable trait and weakness of his at the same time is his dribbling. While he can easily skip past one or two opponents on any given day, his unsuccessful dribbling often puts his team in trouble.
In the central third of the pitch, while taking on opponents, Veiga will once again drift into the wider areas whereas his team needs him in the centre. This is something the Spaniard can work on considering his failed dribbling attempts.
While some experts and fans have confused him for being a deep-lying playmaker, Veiga likes to drive the ball up the pitch in order to create chances. With his breakthrough season in the football world, he is also attracting interest from big clubs for obvious reasons.
Veiga is still only 21 years old and has the world at his feet. His consistency can be only questioned at this point if performances are considered – with discipline being an issue when things get heated during a game. He will be a sure shot started next season, should he decide to stay at Celta Vigo.
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Gabri Veiga stats
With 9 goals and 4 assists to his name in the 2022/23 season, Veiga has surely had a fruitful full-season debut with Celta Vigo. It also says a lot about his goal contributions to the team considering Celta are just one point above the relegation zone.
What shouldn’t be ignored here is the number of unsuccessful dribbles he has had compared to the ones that have been successful. The only thing to cheer about here is that his attempted dribbles have been way more which give him some leeway on those unsuccessful dribbles ratio.
Gabri Veiga scout report
The best part of Gabri Veiga’s game is his reading of the game and the players around him. The Spaniard is always on the look for passes that can tear apart defences or look to carry the ball to the opposition.
Off the ball, Veiga will always look to regain possession as soon as he can. This is irrespective of the number of yards Veiga has to cover and will always put in a 100% effort for his team.
Despite being an attacking midfielder, Veiga always looks to adapt according to what his manager needs. His ability to defend in 1v1 situations has been praised by experts given that he is an attacking midfielder.
Gabri Veiga transfer news
What an outstanding breakthrough season does to a footballer is that they immediately come under the radar of the elite clubs. Veiga has had an outstanding season considering his team’s struggles and Europe has taken notice of his performances.
Real Madrid and Liverpool were frontrunners for his signature with Los Blancos even agreeing personal terms with the Spanish midfielder. Although, Newcastle seems to have stolen march on the Spanish capital side, with Liverpool focusing on Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister instead.
Several scouts have attended Celta Vigo’s games this season in order to watch the talented Spaniard. And with little argument, its seems though that they have been left impressed with the potential the attacking midfielder has shown
He is contracted at Celta until 2026 and has a release of $45m. Celta want to renew his contract and double the wages on his current terms, but it seems they have been left powerless given the pull power of his suitors.
Veiga has everything in his arsenal to be a top-notch player and with the right coach, he might even exceed that potential.
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