Arsenal have confirmed the signing of highly-rated Portuguese midfielder Fabio Vieira from FC Porto for a reported fee of £30m plus add-ons.
The deal - which has seen him sign a long-term contract - has come as somewhat of a surprise to Gunners fans given Vieira hadn't been one of the select few names being relentlessly linked with a move to the Emirates. However, the switch has been officially announced and Mikel Arteta can consider Vieira his first big signing of the summer window.
The Gunners had already acquired Sao Paulo teenager Marquinhos, but Vieira is the first arrival that is expected to immediately come into the Arsenal first-team. A dazzling playmaker, Vieira registered 14 assists in the league alone for Porto last term.
It would seem as if Arteta is stocking up on technically-gifted midfielders with an eye for a pass. Vieira has been likened to Manchester City's Bernardo Silva - someone Arteta worked closely with at the Etihad and has previously also been linked with a move to Arsenal.
A graduate of the Porto academy, Vieira more than played his part last term as his boyhood club won a league and cup double under the stewardship of Sérgio Conceição. There was a release clause inserted into Vieira's contract, but Arsenal negotiated a lower fee and managed to get their man at a cut-price fee.
Arteta's hunt for players to bolster his midfield options has been well-documented. One eye-opening aspect of this move is the fact that the Gunners boss is rumoured to have been the driving force behind the deal.
There has long been debate among the Arsenal faithful as to who is the main figurehead in terms of the Gunners' incomings - Arteta or technical director Edu Gaspar.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Fabio Vieira hit the ground running at Arsenal? Comment below
It was Edu who oversaw the deal to sign Marquinhos earlier this month, as the former Arsenal midfielder boasts plenty of links to the South American market thanks to his former role as the director of the Brazilian national team.
In this instance, it was Arteta who had long-held admiration for Vieira and made sure that Arsenal snapped him up before anyone else could. Just hours before news broke that the player was on his way to London, paper talk suggested Vieira was actually a transfer target for neighbours and rivals Spurs.
The deal represents a show of faith from the Arsenal board in Arteta, who will be keen to make sure Vieira is not the last addition to his side before the window shuts.
His presence within the Arsenal squad will also provide quality depth to a team that so desperately needed it at the tail-end of last season. The talented attacking players already at the club crumbled under the mental pressure and physical demand placed on them.
Players like Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe were required to be at their absolute best every game due to limited alternatives Arteta could call upon - Vieira changes that completely.
With the ability to operate both more centrally and on the right-flank, Vieira's arrival immediately ensures some of the work-load that was once placed on Saka and Odegaard in particular can now be relieved.
