Arsenal have agreed a deal to signal FC Porto attacking midfielder Fabio Vieira for €35 million, with an extra €5m doable in performance-related add-ons, however what kind of participant are they getting?
Vieira, 22, performed 39 video games throughout all competitions final season, registering seven targets and 16 assists, whereas in his profession for the Portuguese membership he had 10 targets and 18 assists from 76 video games.
Coming by the membership’s youth academy, he made his first-team debut on June 10, 2020 towards Maritimo.
He has but to make his debut for the senior Portugal nationwide staff, however he’s the captain of the under-21 aspect and has 13 targets from 20 video games since making his debut on Nov. 14, 2019.
He was named within the Crew of the Event because the Portugal U19s completed second to Spain within the 2019 UEFA European Beneath-19 Championship, whereas he additionally starred on the 2021 UEFA European Beneath-21 Championship, choosing up the award for Greatest Participant as Portugal completed as runners-up behind Germany.
So what can Arsenal anticipate? We dig into the info, together with asking former scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen and ESPN senior author James Olley for his or her assessments.
Place
At 5-foot-7, Vieira lacks the bodily dimension to dominate the midfield like his namesake Patrick Vieira did for years at Arsenal. Certainly, he is a really completely different model of midfielder to the legendary Frenchman.
Vieira has performed in a lot of positions, together with as a No. 10, a No. 8 and a second striker. He tends to play centrally behind the striker(s) or cuts in from the best onto his stronger left foot, as his touchmap under exhibits.
By the numbers
Vieira has some spectacular stats amongst his FC Porto friends this season, enjoying 27 of the membership’s 34 league video games on the way in which to successful a second successive title and the Portuguese cup.
*Stats based mostly on Primeira Liga 2021-22 solely.
Touches: 1,082 (tenth)
Cross accuracy: 82.9% (sixteenth)
Probabilities created: 34 (fifth)
Pictures: 46 (sixth)
Deal with accuracy 48.3% (sixth)
Anticipated targets: 3.68 (sixth)
Anticipated assists: 5.00 (third)
Strengths
Speedy turns and a change of tempo, combined with a low centre of gravity, make the attacking midfielder a headache for opponents and an entertainer for the followers.
When in kind, he can advance ahead by slaloming previous defenders and is harmful within the last third. His left foot is great, and whereas he hits a strong shot, he’s additionally delicate sufficient to string well-weighted passes to runners behind the defensive position. — Karlsen
He was concerned in 23% of Porto’s targets within the Portuguese league final season, so he’s an attacking menace with a watch for a key move.
Nevertheless, he can even rating himself and is not afraid to tackle a shot from distance.
How he can enhance
Vieira might be barely egocentric and vulnerable to taking over an opponent too many instances. As with most different skills who thrive on their technical capacity, he can enhance his defensive self-discipline. There’s additionally a necessity to offer a extra constant presence for your entire 90 minutes. — Karlsen
In quotes
Dusan Fitzel, a member of UEFA’s staff of technical observers who have been on the panel of deciding who can be Participant of the Event on the 2021 U21 Euros, explained the choice: “In the course of the event, he was a key participant for Portugal. A playmaker who creates a number of probabilities. A superb hyperlink between midfield and assault.”
Manuel Tulipa, the Maritimo U23 supervisor who coached FC Porto’s U15, U17 and U19 sides from 2017 till 2020, told Maisfutebol: “Fabio Vieira is particular as a result of he can see every part along with his head on the bottom. He’s a participant who offers assists and might enter the world, rating in midrange and in dead-ball conditions. He is additionally improved by way of urgent orientation.
“However what most surprises me is the way in which he shows his high quality when many groups use a low block on the pitch, and he can decipher what the sport calls for. These are the gamers which are price some huge cash.”
Who else was he linked with?
Liverpool, Man United and Tottenham have reportedly scouted him up to now.
Why have been Arsenal ?
One other attacking midfielder did not look like on the prime of Arsenal’s priorities this summer season however Porto’s willingness to simply accept a charge under Vieira’s €50m launch clause created a possibility they determined to take advantage of.
Arteta is eager so as to add extra creativity to the staff — and informed Sky Sports again in 2020 what including artistic gamers would do for the membership — however he already has Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe able to enjoying as a No. 10, as No. 8s in a 4-3-3 form, or vast left as Smith Rowe did on a number of events final season.
Odegaard’s significance has been underlined by Arteta handing him the captaincy once in a while in the direction of the tip of final season, whereas sources near Smith Rowe insist there isn’t a indication he’ll depart the membership — the 21-year-old had been the topic of curiosity from Aston Villa earlier than signing a brand new contract — and so Vieira’s addition seems to be including power in depth as Arsenal return to the Europa League subsequent time period.
The Gunners streamlined their squad in January with no European soccer and an early exit from the FA Cup which means they solely had the Premier League to focus on. Arteta usually targets versatile attacking gamers and Vieira’s capacity to play as a false No. 9 affords an intriguing choice, along with easing the artistic burden on Odegaard and Smith Rowe if he operates in his extra customary place. — James Olley
Will he slot in on the Emirates?
Being technically gifted, artistic and geared up with a wonderful first contact and ball management, Vieira appears the everyday Arsenal attacking midfielder as favoured by former supervisor Arsene Wenger.
On that foundation he’d don’t have any downside settling into the staff attacking-wise: He can move with each precision and tempo to shift the ball round, whereas as well as has the tip product (the attention and execution of a killer move or a left-footed long-range effort) and the power to make line-breaking passes (and runs with the ball) towards low-sitting opposition.
His experience on set items can be an added bonus. How he’ll cope with the defensive aspect, in a staff wherein physicality might be missing from the central attacking midfielders, is one other query (instance: Odegaard carried out much more ball recoveries — 162 vs. 59 — and entered extra double the quantity of defensive duels — 103 vs. 50 — final season in comparison with Vieira).
Arsenal are clearly assured that there is much more to return from the Portuguese midfielder, however whereas he is a participant in fast improvement, he is probably not too far off reaching his ceiling. — Karlsen