On Wednesday, Napoli’s highly anticipated transfer of Gabbi Veiga collapsed overnight, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano. The transfer expert confirmed that Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli Saudi FC pulled the rug from beneath Napoli’s feet.
According to Italian media, Napoli had agreed to terms with Celta Viga, but negotiations with the player and his entourage reportedly slowed due to disagreements on player image rights and agent commissions. Veiga’s medicals, which were originally scheduled for the 20th of August, were canceled, allowing Al Ahli the opportunity to hijack the deal.
According to transfer expert Nico Schira, the Saudi club agreed to pay Gabri Veiga’s €40 million release clause, while offering the player an annual salary of €12.5 million net – nearly six times what the 21-year-old would have earned at Napoli.
Veiga is the latest star player to move to the Saudi Pro League this summer, though few have made the move at such a young age. The four clubs owned by the nation’s Public Investment Fund have already spent over €725 million, excluding exorbitant player wages.
- Al Hilal SFC (€341.6M) – Bono (€21.0M), Kalidou Koulibaly (€23.0M), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (€40.0M), Aleksander Mitrovic (€52.6M), Ruben Neves (€55.0M), Malcolm (€60.0M) and Neymar (€90.0M);
- Al-Nassr FC (€165.1M) – Alex Telles (€4.6M); Marcelo Brozovic (€18.0M); Seko Fofana (€25.0M); Aymeric Laporte (€27.5M); Sadio Mane (€30.0M); and Otavio (€60.0M);
- Al-Ahli Saudi FC – (€143.2M) – Franck Kessié (€12.5M); Edouard Mendy (€18.5M); Merih Demiral (€20M); Allan Saint-Maximin (€27.2M); Roger Ibañez (€30.0M); and Riyad Mahrez (€35.0M);
- Al-Ittihad Club (€75.8M) – N’Golo Kante (free); Karim Benzema (free); Diogo Jota (€29.1M); and Fabinho (€46.7M)
The shock transfer has left many to wonder how Napoli allowed Veiga to slip through their fingers. Forza Napoli Press explores the many factors that might have influenced the decision.
Al-Ahli Revenge
Up until last week, Al-Ahli were heavily linked to Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski. The Saudi club was close to paying a €35 million transfer fee and €15 million salary to acquire the Pole, but he rejected the offer. With Zielinski off the market, Al-Ahli immediately targeted the Napoli target, Gabri Veiga, perhaps out of spite.
Zielu to Fund Veiga
When Napoli were first linked to the Celta Vigo youngster, the assumption amongst transfer experts was that the sale of Zielinski would fund the purchase of Veiga. Reports later surfaced confirming that Napoli would continue to pursue Veiga, regardless of what happened with Zielinski. Perhaps those reports were false, and the failure to sell Zielinski brought Napoli back to the negotiating table and ultimately killed the deal. If not, Napoli will be kicking themselves for not paying the release clause when they had the chance.
De Laurentiis Arrogance
Prior to Veiga, the youngest star players to move to the Saudi Pro League were Diogo Jota and Roger Ibañez, both 24 years of age. Most others are in the latter stages of their careers and are seeking one final payday. Some players, like Lionel Messi, declined Saudi offers for family reasons. Many young players, like Victor Osimhen, still have aspirations of achieving success in Europe, whether in the English Premier League or in the UEFA Champions League. Perhaps De Laurentiis assumed Veiga had the same aspirations and would not be lured by a lucrative Saudi offer. Napoli are regulars in the Champions League and have often been used as a stepping stone to bigger clubs, as demonstrated by Kim Min-jae.
Who Works for Who?
Veiga is represented by super agent Pini Zahavi, a man nicknamed the “greedy piranha” by former Bayern Munich Sporting Director Hasan Salihamidzic. As reported by CalcioNapoli24, Zahavi earned commissions of €10 million on the sale of Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona and €9 million on the sale of David Alaba to Real Madrid. Zahavi also facilitated Neymar’s move from Barcelona to PSG. Zahavi will reportedly earn a commission of €1.3 million on the sale of Veiga to Al-Ahli. Perhaps he’s working more for himself than he is for the player. Though Veiga is young enough to return to Europe, spending four seasons in a league that is still under construction could seriously derail his career.
