Mikel Arteta wanted ‘genius’ Arsenal player to bulk up and get stronger, he’s now being sold after failing

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Mikel Arteta has assembled a squad comprising several physical players at Arsenal in recent years.

Gone are the days of the Gunners being bullied and outmuscled by most Premier League teams, with Arteta’s side now physically dominant in the majority of their matches.

The likes of Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and now Viktor Gyokeres all fit this combative mould, and the Spanish manager doesn’t appear to want to change this approach.

In fact, Arteta was apparently delighted by Gyokeres’ size and stature, and has also added Cristhian Mosquera and Christian Norgaard to his ensemble this summer, both of whom are imperious and imposing figures.

The tactician values this attribute so highly that he’s now prepared to sell a player who hasn’t been able to ‘bulk up’.

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Mikel Arteta thought Fabio Vieira would ‘bulk up’

Arsenal signed Fabio Vieira for around £34 million from Porto in 2022.

While demonstrating his technical quality in glimpses, Vieira struggled to adapt to the intensity and robustness of the Premier League, and subsequently made just five starts in the English top flight in his first two seasons in N5.

The Gunners sent him back to Porto on loan last summer, where he made 26 Primeira Liga appearances.

Vieira impressed at times for Porto, but the Portuguese giants aren’t willing to stump up a significant fee to acquire him permanently.

Arteta had big hopes for the playmaker when signing him, but he’s ultimately been too physically weak to make a meaningful impact in England.

“I think the one that’s been in the news recently is Fabio Vieira, signed back in 2023 from Porto for about £35 million,” journalist Jordan Davies said on the Transfers Exposed podcast.

“It hasn’t really worked for him. Arteta thought that he would bulk up and become this big, kind of playmaker who could hack it in the Premier League.

“That hasn’t happened. He was back at Porto last season on loan. André Villas-Boas, president of Porto, who people remember from Spurs and Chelsea, has been in touch with Arsenal this summer about whether they can maybe buy him.

“Arsenal want to recoup what they’ve paid for him already, and Porto just can’t afford that. I mean, and there’s now talks with Stuttgart, who might buy him, so Arsenal might get about 20, 25 million around that, including add-ons, for Fabio Vieira.”

How much should Arsenal expect for Fabio Vieira?

Vieira has been described as a ‘genius’, with his ability to spot a pass exceptional.

However, at this point, the 25-year-old is a damaged asset, and the Gunners would do well to fetch any meaningful amount of money for the player.

While not on high wages, clubs that are able to match Arsenal’s demands will have closely observed Vieira and his lack of athleticism and physicality in recent years, and will be concerned about outlaying a huge fee on him because of this.

Although adequate in the physically tame Portuguese league, there are real question marks about whether Vieira has what it takes to compete in any of Europe’s top five leagues.

As a result of these concerns, it would be surprising if mooted suitors Stuttgart, or anyone else, offer Arsenal in excess of £20 million for the Portuguese’s signature.