Former Porto presidential candidate Nuno Lobo has criticised Arsenal's deal for Fabio Vieira.
football.london understands that Vieira is set to become the north Londoners' third signing of the summer following deals to sign American goalkeeper Matt Turner and Brazilian youngster Marquinhos. The Gunners agreed a £34million deal to bring the Portuguese playmaker to the club last week, with an official announcement expected in the coming days.
However, the aforementioned Lobo has made it no secret of his frustration with the deal, claiming that Porto should have demanded much more money for the talented 22-year-old. Speaking to Bola Branca, via the Evening Standard, he said: “He is one of the best players at FC Porto and leaving for this fee is a bad deal.
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“We are talking about one of the gems of FC Porto, one of the players who came from our academy. The DNA of FC Porto.
“We lost him. It’s another piece of business that I don’t understand.
“We are talking about ridiculous values for players who represent and are FC Porto. They are from our academy and we are letting them go for unbelievable fees.”
Lobo's verdict will be good reading for Arsenal fans, with his claims making it seem as if the Gunners have got a bargain deal to sign Vieira, who managed to score seven goals and provide a whopping 16 assists across all competitions last season. And the north London club's business is far from over, football.london understands as technical director Edu looks to bring in Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus, holding talks with the player's representatives in recent months.
