Arsenal new boy Fabio Vieira has hailed Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah as "quality players" after joining the north Londoners.
The Portuguese midfielder joined from Porto after excelling last season and will now look to complement the Gunners' frontline. Last term he had 20 goal involvements in the Primeira Liga which earned him international recognition with his country's U21s.
Vieira, who has 13 goals from his 21 appearances, came up against the Arsenal pair during the Euros previously and was impressed with both players. He told the club's website : "I got to face them at the Euros. They are both quality players. Arsenal have top players and I’m now here to help the team reach its goals."
The 22-year-old declared himself an admirer of Smith Rowe as well as several of his other new teammates. He added: "I’m a fan of Bukayo Saka and Smith Rowe, too. I really like the way they play. Odegaard is quite similar to me."
Vieira is set to battle with the trio for a starting berth at the Emirates. The creative midfielder will be looking to make his mark following a transfer which set Arsenal back over £30m but is battling in a competitive area of the squad.
Arsenal needed to bolster their forward line following the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette and have done so by adding Vieira, although a natural No 9 is required. Nketiah recently signed a new deal whilst the club remain in the market for the likes of Gabriel Jesus.
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Mikel Arteta though is confident that Vieira can add a fresh dynamic in the final third. He said: ”I am very excited that we have identified and signed such a special talent. Fabio is a very creative player that will bring high quality and versatility to our attacking play. We welcome Fabio and his family to our club and are looking forward to starting work with him ahead of the new season.”
Technical Director Edu added: “We’re so pleased to have completed the signing of Fabio from FC Porto. Fabio is a player with special qualities who is comfortable with the ball in the final third of the pitch. We are all looking forward to working with him and enjoying his future contribution to Arsenal. We will now continue to work hard and are looking forward to finishing this transfer window as strongly possible.”
Vieira will wear the No 21 shirt and could make his competitive debut in the season opener against Crystal Palace as Arsenal look to push on from last season and finish in the top four.
