‘I’m 100% Proud’: £35m Creative Star Player Suggests He Has No Regrets After Not Joining Newcastle This SummerAt the start of the summer transfer window, it looked like Gabri Veiga would be joining Allan Saint-Maximin at Newcastle United.
By the time the window closed, Veiga and Saint-Maximin were teammates, but not in the black and white of Newcastle.
That is because the Magpies sold the Frenchman to Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli, as they looked to ease their financial fair play concerns. The deal allowed Eddie Howe to bring in Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento, although Premier League rivals did complain about the nature of the deal given Newcastle’s involvement with Saudi Arabia.
But Saint-Maximin was not the only Premier League player to sign for Al Ahli. He is now teammates with Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Edouard Mendy, who arrived from Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.
Al Ahli also recruited from elsewhere, and were able to tempt a 21-year-old Gabri Veiga to the Middle East.
The Spaniard joined Al Ahli, despite being heavily linked with a £35million move to the Premier League. He was a major target for Newcastle United, and there were even claims in Spain that a deal was close to being done.
That proved to be wide of the mark, but Toon officials certainly had their eye on Veiga and were big fans of the young playmaker.
However, he shockingly took his talents to Saudi Arabia at the age of 21, and has now explained his decision.
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