Pedro De La Vega: Seattle Sounders add Claudio Caniggia type player from Lanús

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The Seattle Sounders have signed winger Pedro de la Vega from Argentine club Lanús. The 22-year-old Argentine youth international is expected to sign a four-year contract in the Emerald City. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Sounders will obtain 80% of the player’s rights, and Jeremiah Oshan from Sounders at Heart confirmed that the deal will be in the area of $7 million (€6.4m), which will make De La Vega the second most expensive signing in club history behind only Clint Dempsey and just ahead of Raúl Ruidíaz (overview).

A current Argentine U23 national team player and a prospect to represent his country at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, De la Vega is considered a fantastic prospect who has already experienced some ups and downs in his career. First breaking onto the scene in 2019 with Lanús, the winger’s market value quickly soared to €10m after he scored four goals in 17 first-division games. “De La Vega started playing for Lanús at a very young age, being a school student, and he was one of the most promising players in Argentina,” Transfermarkt Area Manager Argentina and South America Scott Christensen said. “He played on the national youth teams and the Olympic team and was quite outstanding in the first division, but unfortunately, an injury stopped his huge progress.” 

Market Value

P. de la Vega Right Winger

€6.50m

Those injuries and the lack of playing time saw his market value collapse to just €3.2m in September 2022. But then things turned around.  “He struggled to find his best form after his injuries, but then last season, we saw a much better version than the one we saw the year before it,” Christensen said. Indeed, De La Vega managed six goals and seven assists in 40 games across all competitions for Lanús in 2023, and, as a result, his market value rebounded to €6.5m, almost the exact fee that the Sounders are now set to invest in the winger. 

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But what sort of player is De la Vega? “He's a fast old-style winger, similar to the Argentine legend Claudio Caniggia,” Christensen said. Christensen admits that some of the comparisons to Caniggia come down to his appearance and that De La Vega still has some ground to cover to be named in the same breath as the legendary Argentine forward. “He isn't particularly great in statistic terms, but he's a player that, when lightened, makes quite an impact on the game,” Christensen added. 

Stats

P. de la Vega Right Winger

Club Atlético Lanús

Career stats–
All competitions

Games

126

Goals

17

Assists

13

Although he didn’t quite meet the expectations that were placed in him when he first emerged four years ago, Christensen believes that paired with a strong no.9, De La Vega could become a handy player. “His best skill is getting close to the goal line and sending a low cross for the striker; it worked quite well with José Sand, for example, at Lanús,” Christensen said.

Player Comparison

Pedro de la Vega

Nicolás Lodeiro

Seattle Sounders FC

Orlando City SC

€6.50m

Market Value

€1.50m

23

Age

35

Right Winger

Position

Attacking Midfield

Dec 31, 2027

Contract until

Dec 31, 2024

Full Player Comparison

One thing that De la Vega won’t be is a Nicolás Lodeiro replacement. The 34-year-old Uruguayan left Seattle this winter as a free agent and joined league competitor Orlando City SC. “I think he's a very different player to Lodeiro, who is more creative,” Christensen said. “Lodeiro was more experienced as well and had that tough Uruguayan attitude, which is very helpful. De La Vega is still a young kid, so it might take some time [to adapt to MLS] and become an important player for the Sounders.”