View: Tottenham could add an attacking threat to their midfield with Gabriel Veiga
New Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is a big fan of midfielders who offer an attacking threat.
As a result, supporters of Spurs should begin to expect to see a lot more ventures forward from their midfield players next season.
James Maddison, one of the Premier League’s most productive midfielders, has already been brought into the club with the expectation that he will slot into Postecoglou’s side seamlessly.
Throughout his career, the Australian has demanded his players in the middle of the park get forward and support the front three and the expectation is that this will be no different in North London.
However, Tottenham currently lack options in that department who are capable of providing a constant goal threat. Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg aren’t the most dynamic players going forward and Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma offer different strengths.
In terms of out-and-out playmakers and goalscorers from midfield, Spurs have few, although they are now being linked with one very talented one.
The Daily Mail have reported online (20 July) that Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga is a target for Tottenham.
And when it comes to scoring from midfield, he is certainly one of the best around, as the stats suggest. He scored 11 goals in 36 La Liga appearances last season and a deeper dive into the stats makes for even more impressive reading.
According to stats provided by FBREF, Veiga was in the top one per cent of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues over the past calendar year for a range of attacking statistics. These include his 0.43 goals per 90, his 0.59 goals plus assists per 90 and his 1.14 shots on target per 90.
The 21-year-old was also in the top two per cent for another range of important attacking statistics, including his 2.43 shots per 90 and 0.39 successful take-ons that led to a shot per 90. It is therefore clear to see from these numbers that the Spaniard is a very dangerous player, even at such a young age.
Aside from his goalscoring and shooting, he also recorded particularly impressive statistics in a number of other areas. He was in the top 20 per cent compared to his positional peers across the continent for assists (0.16 per 90) and the top five per cent for his xG (0.24 per 90).
On the ball, he is also incredibly dangerous, as demonstrated over the past 365 days. He attempted 2.94 take-ons per 90 and was successful with 1.53 of them, ranking him in the top 12 per cent of both statistics. His 2.67 carries per 90 positioned him in the top 11 per cent while his 0.59 carries into the penalty area per 90 left him in the upper ninth per cent.
Veiga was always in and around the box, making 2.63 touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, once again seeing him land in the top 11 per cent.
Having already played internationally at youth level, eight times for Spain’s Under-21s, and with such impressive stats at such a young age, Veiga is clearly a very talented prospect for the future.
A move for the player would be extremely exciting and he could continue to develop into a world-class talent under the attacking guidance of Postecoglou in the Premier League. This is a signing that certainly makes sense.
In other Tottenham news, the Women’s World Cup has kicked off for Spurs star Ria Percival.