Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that he was set on signing Fabio Vieira “straight away” after witnessing him in action, as the Portuguese prepares to make his full debut.
The Gunners made the 22-year-old one of their first signings of the window this summer as they agreed to pay Porto £34million. Vieira signed a five-year deal in North London and will hope to replicate the sparkling performances that he produced at the Estadio do Dragao.
In his final season with Porto, the midfielder scored seven goals and provided 16 assists in all competitions. Arteta claims those sort of game-changing displays - as well as Vieira’s versatility - were huge reasons which led to Arsenal splashing the cash to secure his services.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Gunners’ Europa League opener against FC Zurich on Thursday, the Spaniard said: “We were looking for players that could play in three positions in the frontline and in the attacking midfielder positions.
“We were looking for very specific qualities in the market and when I saw him, I really liked what I saw. Straight away, I was convinced that he was a player who can help us go to the next level and that he had the right personality and character to play for our club.”
Despite arriving at the Emirates in June, Vieira has endured a frustrating start to life with Arsenal. He was injured upon signing for and has only made one substitute appearance, which came in the 3-1 defeat by Manchester United last weekend.
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However, he could make his full debut for the Gunners against Zurich. Arteta has bemoaned the midfielder’s frustrating injury woes but is predicting big things from the Portuguese throughout the remainder of the campaign.
He continued: “It’s a shame that we detected an injury when we were doing the medical. He [Vieira] had no pre-season and everything has been delayed, but hopefully you’re going to see a lot more of him in the next few weeks, and I’m sure that you’ll enjoy it.”
Whilst Vieira could make his first start for Arsenal in the Europa League, he will have his eyes on a full Premier League debut, with the Gunners set to entertain struggling Everton on Sunday.
Midfield colleague Emile Smith Rowe is dealing with an injury problem and has missed training over the past couple of days, opening up an avenue for further minutes for Vieira.
Arteta confirmed: “He [Smith Rowe] felt discomfort in an area that [he’s been dealing with] now for a few weeks. He wasn’t comfortable after the game and he hasn’t trained in the last few days, so he’s out of the squad.”
It remains to be seen whether Smith Rowe will be able to return in time for the weekend and should he stay restricted to the sidelines, Vieira could be handed a huge opportunity to play against Everton.
