COMMENT: Gabri Veiga and Al-Ahli… and now football trembles. This was the deal Michael Emenalo had forewarned. The one that would really shake-up the game. By convincing Gabri, the Saudi Pro League has truly arrived…
A breakout player if ever there was one. Gabri’s departure from Celta Vigo was never going to be a surprise. Even in the club’s centenary year. Even with Rafa Benitez installed as new head coach. There was an acceptance that Gabri, after a first full season of senior football, would be on his way. Carlos Mourino, Celta’s irascible president, conceding before the end of last season that with Gabri’s contract carrying a €40m buyout clause, his departure was inevitable.
Indeed at the time, Mourino accused Real Madrid of setting up the deal without alerting him: “We always say that we do not sell him, but they are going to buy him from us; I want to make that big difference. For Gabri to continue with us would be a great success, but it is also a great success if we manage to sell him at that price.”
But as Real hesitated, others came to the fore. With super agent Pini Zahavi handling Gabri’s affairs, Premier League interest would soon arrive. Liverpool. Chelsea. Arsenal. They were all in contact. And all viewed Gabri’s price as realistic and affordable.
Yet in the end, it was Serie A champions Napoli which appeared to have won the battle. A bid of €30m was lodged. Personal terms over a €2.5m-a-year contract struck. It all seemed as Naples would be Gabri’s destination.
But with Napoli refusing to meet the player’s clause, it brought Celta and Mourino into the equation. And they hesitated. They gave Zahavi some wriggle room to alert rival suitors. And that’s all Al-Ahli needed to swoop in. €40m – plus add-ons to kickoff a new club relationship – was tabled. A three-year contract worth €40m was emailed through to the Veiga family home. And a video call between Gabri and Al-Ahli coach Matthias Jaissle was held. It was swift. Professional. And decisive. Napoli never stood a chance.
Nor did Chelsea, Liverpool or anyother European power. Gabri, if he’d pushed, had his choice of clubs. A player wanted by the biggest and best across the continent. But at 21 and with the world at his feet, he chose the Saudi Pro League for the next phase in his career.
Of course, cue the uproar. Or better yet, the mockery. At least from certain quarters of the Spanish game. Toni Kroos, the Real Madrid veteran, branded Gabri an “embarrassment”. His coach, Carlo Ancelotti, demanded authorities get involved. While local pundits were left dismayed seeing one the country’s brightest talents throwing it all away for money.
All of which, for this column, is rubbish. Gabri is no “embarrassment”. Like Cristiano Ronaldo before him, Gabri is a trailblazer. They said the same about Ronaldo when he chose to commit to Al-Nassr at the beginning of the year. The guffaws were loud, derisive, when the Portuguese declared the SPL would soon count among the best leagues in the world. Well, who’s laughing now…?
Ronaldo’s decision sparked an exodus of talent from Europe. His peers. His teammates. From Neymar and Sadio Mane. To Ruben Neves and Roger Ibanez. They’ve all followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia.
And now, with Gabri the flagship, a new category of talent will soon be on their way. The young attacker will be the first of many. The Pedris. The Cole Palmers. The Vitor Roques. The best prospects in the game. Identified by Emenalo, the SPL’s recently-hired recruitment chief. Like Ronaldo for senior, established players. Gabri’s presence will act as a magnet for young talent across the world. Suddenly the SPL can offer a legitimate step in a young player’s career path.
And the influence of Jasslie is worth highlighting. Twice Bundesliga title winner with RB Leipzig, at 35, the German was rated among the brightest young coaches in Europe. But he’s now pursuing a career in Asian football. And those close to Zahavi tell this column, it was Jaissle who was key to this operation.
As was Al-Ahli’s recruitment staff. We’ve raised it in a past column. Is there really a concern for a player’s development like Gabri, if he’s being coached by Jaissle – while also training and mixing daily with the likes of Bobby Firmino and Riyad Mahrez? Is there a difference between being coached by Jurgen Klopp and his German staff at Liverpool – and Jorge Jesus and his Portuguese staff at Al-Hilal?
We’ve said it before, the SPL is no fly-by-night operation. Built on stable, 80 year-old foundations. With support from every sector of the Saudi population. From the grassroots to the Royal Family. They are all united and rowing in the same direction. The Saudi Pro League is here to stay.
And with this Gabri deal, it’s influence is only going to grow bigger. The young Spaniard, now of Al-Ahli, is about to blaze a trail for his footballing peers. And so the game trembles…
