August 23rd 2024.
Arteta has allowed a midfielder to return to his former club, as Fabio Vieira is set to leave Arsenal and rejoin Porto on a season-long loan deal. The 24-year-old initially joined the Gunners for a hefty fee of £35 million in the summer of 2022 from the Portuguese giants.
Although Vieira made 22 appearances in his debut season, his playing time reduced significantly in the following season. Despite recovering from a groin surgery in February, he only started two matches. With the arrival of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad and the emergence of talented teenager Ethan Nwaneri, Arsenal has decided to let Vieira go in order to secure more first-team football for him, according to a report by The Athletic.
As Arsenal prepares for their match against Aston Villa on Saturday evening, Vieira will not be part of the squad as Porto works to finalize the deal. In addition to Vieira, Arsenal is also expected to approve the move of striker Eddie Nketiah away from the club. Personal terms have already been agreed upon and a deal worth approximately £30 million has been reached with Nottingham Forest.
After spending two seasons in London, Vieira will be heading back to Porto. He made his senior Arsenal debut in 2017 and had a brief loan spell at Leeds United during the 2019-2020 season. Although he scored six goals in 37 appearances last season, he only started in 13 of those matches. He played a peripheral role in the club's title challenge, with Mikel Arteta preferring Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus up top, with the former leading the line in last week's season opener against Wolves.
Vieira will be joining Emile Smith Rowe in leaving Arsenal, with the attacking midfielder having joined Fulham in a deal that could rise to £34 million. Arteta expressed his gratitude towards Smith Rowe and acknowledged his impact on the team since joining. He also spoke about the responsibility he feels to give young players a chance to prove themselves and make the team better.
As Arteta makes decisions to shape the Arsenal squad, fans can stay updated with the latest news, exclusives, and analysis by signing up for the club's newsletter. The site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
