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Arteta reveals the planning behind Vieira’s signature

By on September 8, 2022

fabio vieira arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has explained the planning behind the signing of Fabio Vieira in this summer transfer window.

The Gunners purchased the highly-rated midfielder from FC Porto for a fee of around £34m. The 22-year-old enjoyed a stellar campaign last term with Sergio Conceicao’s side, scoring six goals and notching up 14 assists in 27 Liga Portugal appearances.

The new signing’s game time has been restricted in the early stages of this campaign due to an ankle injury. However, Vieira has recovered from his issue and made his debut as a second-half substitute in last Sunday’s game against Manchester United.

Speaking at his press conference ahead of Arsenal’s game against FC Zurich (quoted by Arsenal’s official website), Arteta has revealed that they were eyeing a move for a versatile attacker – who can play in multiple positions – ahead of the recently concluded transfer window and straight away Vieira’s qualities had caught his attention.

The Spanish boss further says that at a first glance he was convinced the midfielder would be the perfect acquisition to take Arsenal to the next level and the youngster has the right personality and character to play for the club.

The boss also states that Vieira’s ankle injury was detected during his medical tests ahead of his switch to the Emirates Stadium but the midfielder has now recovered from his injury and is expected to be involved in a lot more games in the next few weeks.

The planning behind Vieira’s signature

Arteta said:

“We were looking for players that could play in three positions in the frontline and in the attacking midfielder positions. We were looking for very specific qualities in the market and when I saw him [Vieira], I really liked what I saw. Straight away, I was convinced that he was a player who can help us go to the next level and that he had the right personality and character to play for our club.

“It’s a shame that we detected an injury when we were doing the medical. He had no pre-season and everything has been delayed, but hopefully you’re going to see a lot more of him in the next few weeks, and I’m sure that you’ll enjoy it.”

It’s clear that Vieira’s versatility was a key reason behind Arsenal’s decision to buy him, so it will be interesting to see where he’s deployed. The Portuguese could now be a viable option to deputise for Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka on the wings.

Arsenal failed to buy a new established winger in the summer transfer window – despite lacking options in that position – but perhaps Arteta was relaxed about the situation as he knew Vieira could play out wide if needed.

However, his main position is as a central attacking midfielder and Vieira is expected to come in for Martin Odegaard and make his full debut against Zurich this evening.