Portuguese football expert Jose Miguel has now explained why Fabio Vieira is still yet to establish himself as a key player at Arsenal since sealing his transfer from FC Porto.
The Gunners secured their swoop for the 23-year-old in June 2022 as Mikel Arteta looked to improve their creativity. But Vieira still remains nothing more than a fringe option for Arsenal ahead of a reunion with Porto. He will face the Liga Portugal outfit in the Champions League.
UEFA drew Arsenal against Porto for the Round of 16 with a trip to the Estadio do Dragao on February 21 before a reverse tie at Emirates Stadium on March 12. It would be an emotional homecoming for Vieira, should he feature, having spent most of his career with the Dragoes.
Fabio Vieira has been on Arsenal’s fringes since a transfer from Porto
Vieira had only spent the 2015/16 campaign away from Porto on loan before joining Arsenal in an initial £30m transfer. The move may end up costing the Gunners £34m after add-ons, for a player who got 76 first-team appearances at Porto after graduating from their academy.
Arteta bet on Vieira’s potential having offered Porto 16 of his 18 career assists and seven of his 10 career goals during the 2021/22 season. But the former Portugal U21 maestro has so far only given Arsenal 10 assists and three goals in 46 appearances across all competitions.
Portuguese expert explains Fabio Vieira’s Premier League struggles
Just two of Vieira’s goals and half of his assists at Arsenal have also come in Premier League matches from 30 appearances. He has further only started five English top-flight fixtures to date, including just two this term from eight outings which returned a goal and three assists.
Arsenal are currently without Vieira after he required surgery for a groin injury. He is due to return from the operation after the Gunners’ winter break in January. But a seat on Arteta’s bench likely awaits the 23-year-old having only started three of his 13 games in all this term.
Portuguese football expert Miguel has now explained why Vieira continues to struggle with Arsenal ahead of his reunion with Porto. The Foro de Jogo panellist claims the playmaker is still fighting with the physicality of the Premier League and lacked maturity when he joined.
Miguel outlined to football.london: “Some players are sometimes not mature enough to go to a great club in the Premier League and establish themselves as fundamental players in the team. Bruno Fernandes and Enzo [Fernandez] are the exceptions.
“Fabio still lacks some physical dimension that sometimes affects his performance because the Premier League demands much more, physically speaking, than the Portuguese League. But I believe Fabio will still be a very important piece at Arsenal.”
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