Claudio Giráldez has the attacking reinforcement he spent the summer chasing. Celta Vigo have completed the signing of Couhaib Driouech from PSV Eindhoven on a four-year deal running until June 2030, closing out the attacking third of Giráldez's squad ahead of the new campaign.
The move makes Driouech the most expensive addition of Marián Mouriño's presidency, with Celta paying a fee reported to be between €6.5m and €7m for the 24-year-old, according to Celta Vigo's official statement and figures reported elsewhere.
It is also the club's first genuine transfer outlay of the summer window. Aleix Febas and Javi Galán both arrived on free transfers, while Abdoulaye Faye and Altay Bayındır joined on loan.
Born in Haarlem and of Moroccan descent, Driouech leaves the Netherlands for the first time in his career after spells with Heerenveen, Excelsior and PSV. Over his two seasons in Eindhoven he made 61 official appearances, scoring 12 goals and adding 10 assists, including 12 Champions League outings that produced four goals and two assists.
Celta described Driouech as a right-footed winger who operates mainly from the left but can also play on the right, highlighting his speed, dribbling and ability to create advantages in the final third. The club's statement pointed to his effectiveness in one-on-one duels, changes of pace and attacking the space in behind opposition defences.
"His characteristics fit perfectly into Claudio Giráldez's system, so his arrival will bring depth, unpredictability and new attacking alternatives for Celta," the club said, adding that Driouech gives the squad "a young player with experience at the highest level and a profile with room to keep growing" ahead of what they hope will be another exciting season.
The deal caps a lengthy search for a wide attacker that took Celta through several failed avenues. An initial loan move for Wolves winger Fer López never got off the ground after the Premier League club declined to negotiate a second spell in Vigo, while a proposed deal for Boca Juniors forward Exequiel Zeballos also collapsed.
Driouech himself appeared close to joining Rangers earlier in the window before concerns over a muscle injury led the Scottish club to pull out of that transfer.
With Driouech's arrival now confirmed, Celta's sporting department has turned its attention to other areas of the squad, with a right-sided centre-back and a holding midfielder understood to remain priorities before the market closes.
Driouech has already reported for training under Giráldez, whose attacking options are now considered complete following the winger's arrival.