Newcastle could sign a bigger talent than Joelinton for £34m

Newcastle could sign a bigger talent than Joelinton for £34m

Last week, Premier League clubs voted against banning loan moves between affiliated clubs in the aftermath of Newcastle United being linked with signing Ruben Neves in January, having left Wolves for £47m in January.

13 teams in the top flight voted in favour of the ban while seven rejected its premises. One of the seven contrarian voters were Newcastle, which may not have come as a surprise to many people as the Magpies are currently owned by the PIF which also has a majority stake in some of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs; Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli.

Nevertheless, the striking down of the proposal has opened the door for Newcastle to dip into the Saudi Pro League market in January and head coach Eddie Howe has his sights set on one player in particular.

Gabri Veiga to Newcastle links

Speaking on the Premier League All-Access Podcast, journalist Alex Crook revealed that Newcastle United have turned their attention away from signing Neves and could well reignite interest in Gabri Veiga.

The Magpies were keen to secure Veiga’s services during the summer but were pipped to his signature by Al-Ahli who activated the midfielder’s £34m release clause.

Veiga broke onto the scene two years ago with his boyhood club Celta Vigo and came to the forefront of the minds of many elite clubs in Europe, especially after scoring 11 goals in 36 appearances in his first full campaign.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti even hailed the youngster as being an “excellent” player, while Premier League outfit Arsenal were reportedly looking to sign the Spain international to replace the outgoing Granit Xhaka last season.

Regardless, Al-Ahli pipped all suitors to the signing of Veiga, handing the 21-year-old a three-year deal worth £10.4m per year. However, Veiga could be on the move already, with Newcastle set to come calling this winter.

How Gabri Veiga compares with Joelinton

Veiga has featured 12 times in all competitions for Al-Ahli this term and has scored once and registered two assists in the process, while featuring as a central midfielder, a holding midfielder and a number ’10’, according to Transfermarkt.

The Spaniard hasn’t contributed to many goals under the guidance of 35-year-old head coach Matthias Jaissle but has still been a key component for the side who are currently sitting third in the league this term.

The former Celta man could be the perfect player to ease Joelinton out of the side if Howe can get his hands on the talented midfielder. In fact, Veiga even outperformed Joelinton in a number of key metrics last term when the pair were both plying their trades in Europe.

Gabri Veiga vs Joelinton

Per 90 Metrics

Gabri Veiga – 2022/23

Joelinton – 2022/23

Goals

0.43

0.2

Expected Goals

0.24

0.24

Assists

0.16

0.03

Expected Assists

0.11

0.06

Key Passes

1.1

0.88

Switches

0.12

0.14

Passing Accuracy %

80.5

87

Progressive Passes

4.27

4.39

Progressive Carries

2.67

2.16

Tackles

1.69

2.36

Final 1/3 Tackles

0.16

0.27

Stats via FBref.

Newcastle have transitioned from a side battling to survive in the Premier League to one vying for titles and a place in Europe’s elite club contest but the Magpies still boast just the ninth-highest possession average in the top flight with 53.2%, as per FBref.

Eventually, Howe will want his side to become more dominant on the ball and players like Veiga are a necessity for this.

While Joelinton is statistically more efficient defensively, Veiga trumped the Brazilian on several fronts, particularly in playmaking, despite being six years younger than his potential future teammate. Evidently, Veiga has a massive ceiling and could be the perfect player for the Geordie club to make the step to the next level.