A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as Gabriel Martinelli opens up on his ‘trust’ in an under-fire Gunners player and Mikel Arteta is warned about the transfer of Ivan Toney.
European expert explains why Fabio Vieira struggles at Arsenal
Portuguese football expert Jose Miguel believes Fabio Vieira is still yet to establish a key role at Arsenal as the midfielder lacks the physicality to play in the Premier League. The 23-year-old also lacked the maturity to make the move stick when he arrived from FC Porto in 2022.
The Gunners bet on Vieira’s potential after he ended the 2021/22 season with seven goals in 39 games as well as 16 assists. He had only given Porto three goals and two assists since he emerged from their academy before that season. And Vieira has often struggled for Arsenal.
Vieira is currently sidelined until the New Year after undergoing surgery on a groin injury but had only started three of his 13 appearances this season. The former Portugal U21 gem had also offered just one goal and four assists this season to reach three and 10 for the Gunners.
A reunion with Porto is now on the cards after UEFA drew Arsenal to face the Dragoes in the last 16 of the Champions League. But Portuguese football expert Miguel believes Vieira still has a lot to prove at Emirates Stadium. He does, however, still tip the playmaker to improve.
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.”
Read more about what Miguel has had to say about Vieira’s struggles at Arsenal, here.
Mikel Arteta warned of upsetting Gabriel Jesus by signing Ivan Toney
Andy Townsend has warned Arteta that he risks upsetting Gabriel Jesus by asking Arsenal to sign Toney from Brentford in the January transfer window. He fears another striker switching to north London could risk him rocking the boat without the certainty of improving the side.
Toney has impressed Townsend with his achievements for Brentford since helping them into the Premier League. But the 27-year-old is not guaranteed to be an upgrade on Jesus. Toney has scored 32 goals in 66 games over the previous two terms compared to Jesus’ 19 in 54.
“That’s a big call,” Townsend told talkSPORT (20/12, 08:35) about Arsenal targeting Toney. “I do like him – I do think he’s a talented player.
“But is he the one who absolutely comes in and makes the difference? If Arteta does go and buy a striker, one that can go in, then he isn’t going to be happy, is he, Jesus?”
Arteta has marked Toney as Arsenal’s top striker target for the January transfer window, per the Mirror. The striker is also eager to agree on a £60m move to north London ahead of his return to action in January. He can resume playing on January 17 after his eight-month ban.
Read more about what Townsend had to say about Arsenal targeting Toney’s transfer, here.
Gabriel Martinelli ‘trusts’ his close friend Fabio Vieira at Arsenal
Arsenal star Martinelli ‘trusts’ Vieira and believes they will be friends for life after striking up a close bond in north London. The 22-year-old Brazil dynamo and Portuguese maestro have so far featured 27 times together for the Gunners and have combined for only the one goal.
“We have a really good relationship,” Martinelli told the Arsenal club website. “With Fabio, it was a bit easier because we speak the same language, so we can have conversations more naturally. We’ve become really good friends and that’s going to be the case for life.
“Our girlfriends are really close, too, and we all like to do things together… It’s nice to have someone who likes to speak your language, someone you can have big conversations with. We’ve got a real bond. I trust him – he’s a good guy.”
Read more about what Martinelli has had to say about Arsenal teammate Vieira, here.
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