Toni Kroos brands Gabri Veiga’s decision to sign for Al Ahli ’embarrassing’
Real Madrid stalwart Toni Kroos has taken a dim view of Gabri Veiga’s decision to sign for Al Ahli, branding the Spain Under-21 international ’embarrassing’. Veiga was regarded as one of La Liga’s most exciting young midfield talents and had been attracting interest from a number of Europe’s leading clubs this summer. Both Chelsea and Liverpool had been linked with the 21-year-old but it appeared that Napoli had won the race to sign the player even up until 24 hours ago.
A late change of heart, however, has seen Veiga perform a huge U-turn and he will now sign for the Saudi Pro League club instead. While Celta will likely benefit from a sizable transfer fee, Veiga’s departure represents another blow to the credibility of La Liga much to the annoyance of Kroos who struggled to hide his contempt on social media.
The emergence of the Pro League has represented one of the more remarkable plot lines of a record-breaking transfer window but cracks in the strategies of leading Saudi clubs are already beginning to emerge. Kroos’s former teammate Karim Benzema, who joined Al-Ittihad earlier this summer, is already said to be having second thoughts over his decision and has fallen out with former Wolves and Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo. The Ballon d’Or winner signing a three-year deal worth €200 million-a-year following his free transfer from the Spanish giants.
While his side has won its opening two matches of the domestic season, Benzema has failed to score and Nuno is reported to have informed the club’s board that the veteran France striker is ill-suited to his plans.
Conclusion
The decision by Gabri Veiga to join Al Ahli has been met with criticism from Toni Kroos, who believes it is an embarrassing move for La Liga. The emergence of the Pro League has been one of the more remarkable plot lines of this transfer window, but it appears that some cracks are beginning to emerge in the strategies of leading Saudi clubs. Karim Benzema is already said to be having second thoughts over his decision to join Al-Ittihad and is reportedly not suited to Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.