Mikel Arteta has been told his move to sign Fabio Vieira last summer was a "mistake", with the midfielder having failed to prove his worth at Arsenal.
The Gunners have been leading the Premier League for much of the season, but are set to relinquish their grip on top spot to Manchester City. A run of four games without a win has left their hopes of ending a 19-year title drought in tatters, with City having two games in hand.
A large part of their recent problems has been the lack of quality back-ups in key positions, including in midfield. Vieira is one of those back-ups, having arrived at the Emirates Stadium from Porto last summer in a £34million deal.
But Emmanuel Petit, who won the double with the Gunners in 1998, does not believe Vieira has done enough in his first campaign at the club. The Frenchman questioned if Vieira has the qualities needed to play for an Arsenal side battling to win trophies.
"I don’t think Fabio Vieira has shown as of yet, that he is at the right level to play for Arsenal. When he signed I thought to myself ‘this guy looks very lightweight for the Premier League’. I don’t think he’s ready for the Premier League physically and mentally," he told Compare Bet.
"He’s a very good player with the ball, and could be perfect in a league like Spain, where it’s more technical, less physical when the game isn’t as fast as in England, but I don’t think he has shown yet that he can play a big role in the Premier League.
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"You can also say that he’s struggled not getting consistent game time and when you compare him to Emile Smith-Rowe, who I think has a future with Arsenal, he’s not the same. Respectfully, I think it was perhaps a mistake signing Vieira."
Petit has also insisted that Arteta needs to boost the quality of his squad over the summer if he is to guide the Gunners on another successful campaign next year. He does not believe Arteta's squad is good enough to fight in both the Premier League and Champions League without investment.
"They need to improve the quality of the team. They have a very strong, talented team and structure and they are young so if they can still play together they will improve much more," Petit added.
"I hope Arteta stays at the club as well, I think it would be a mistake if he leaves at the end of the season, I’m pretty sure he’ll stay. I think Arteta and Arsenal know they have to be more active in the transfer market.
"We’ve seen that Saliba was missing so much for the last few games. With all the respect for Holding, he’s not the same player. It may be that they need to buy five players, in important positions to improve the team, the quality of the team.
"On top of this, they’re going to play the Champions League next season so the standards will be higher, so I think Arteta and Arsenal know that. If they want to improve, they need to improve the quality and quantity of the team."
