There’s just one place to start out this morning and that’s the official arrival of Fabio Vieira from Porto, our first main signing of the summer season (sorry Marquinhos!).
The 22 12 months previous will price €35m + €5m in add-ons, he’ll put on the quantity 21 shirt and he’s signed a 5 12 months deal. Let’s begin with what folks needed to say first.
Mikel Arteta
I’m very excited that now we have recognized and signed such a particular expertise. Fabio is a really artistic participant that can deliver prime quality and flexibility to our attacking play. We welcome Fabio and his household to our membership and are trying ahead to beginning work with him forward of the brand new season.
Edu
We’re so happy to have accomplished the signing of Fabio from FC Porto. Fabio is a participant with particular qualities who’s comfy with the ball within the remaining third of the pitch. We’re all trying ahead to working with him and having fun with his future contribution to Arsenal. We are going to now proceed to work arduous and are trying ahead to ending this switch window as strongly attainable.
Fabio Vieira
I’m thrilled, after all This is a vital step ahead in my profession. Arsenal is a large and historic membership, so I’m delighted to be right here at my new residence. Everybody is aware of that Arsenal are a unbelievable workforce. That was one of many important elements behind me selecting Arsenal. I actually like the best way the workforce performs and I can’t wait to get began.
—
So, who’s he precisely and what sort of a participant have we obtained. First, I’ll level you within the route of Phil Costa’s profile piece, and over on Patreon myself and Phil have a podcast during which we focus on the signing, the participant profile and much extra – listen here.
In brief, now we have a really technically sound participant coming so as to add actual high quality and depth to our squad. It stays to be seen precisely the place he’s going to play, however Vieira himself likens his type to that of Martin Odegaard so together with his need and skill to make a contribution within the remaining third, he’s going to play in these areas. Whether or not it’s as depth for the Norwegian, or with him, the season will inform the story.
And look, in case you learn often you’ll know Odegaard is an actual favorite of mine, however I feel now we have to maneuver away from the both/or mindset in the case of the season forward. We’d like a squad with extra high quality gamers in it. Everyone knows one of many large points was the shortcoming to vary video games after we went behind, which is a major downside after all. It’s additionally a way more tough downside to resolve once you take a look at your bench, see three defenders, a rookie/journeyman central midfielder, and a bunch of youngsters as your attacking choices, and that was what we had at some factors in our final marketing campaign.
Everybody understands that this season’s schedule goes to be extra taxing. I noticed a Tweet the opposite day (can’t discover it now) which specified by stark phrases how a lot goes to be anticipated of groups who’ve Premier League, Europe, the FA Cup, and EFL Cup, to not point out the World Cup slap bang in the midst of the season too. You can not undergo a season with 12/13 first selection gamers like we did final time. The very apparent consequence of that’s you run out of gasoline, you decide up some accidents, and also you’re banjaxed.
A participant like Fabio Vieira, who can play as an attacking midfielder, a large ahead, in central midfield, and has even performed as a second striker for Porto, helps you cope. It’s additionally why, as I wrote yesterday, I might welcome a signing like Raphinha who also can function in varied positions throughout the ahead line and provides us the power to rotate, but additionally to react in recreation conditions that require us to vary the dynamic in addition to the scoreline.
By his personal admission, Vieira must work a bit on the bodily facet of his recreation. He’s nonetheless younger and fairly slight, however a while within the gymnasium will likely be essential to cope in addition to attainable with the rigours of English soccer. Dimension isn’t the be-all and end-all although. We’ve seen gamers like Santi Cazorla, David Silva and extra just lately Bernardo Silva (a participant to whom Vieira is likened by way of his enjoying type) thrive with out the bodily presence you’d usually affiliate with the Premier League. A bit extra muscle gained’t damage although.
I do like the actual fact we’ve added extra technical high quality to the squad although and it’s the type of signing that makes me assume we’re attempting to vary the best way we cope with in-game conditions subsequent season. Again in March, Arteta mentioned of this summer season:
I feel now could be the second now we have to go to a distinct stage.
Think about being 1-0 up in a decent recreation and – with all due respect to him – as a substitute of bringing on Rob Holding to sit down again and defend – you deliver on Fabio Vieira and a participant like Raphinha. Your plan isn’t to camp in your individual half, it’s to play the sport within the opposition’s. If in case you have the ball of their territory, it’s rather more tough for them to attain. New gamers, plus the standard and flexibility of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, will enable Mikel Arteta to change the best way we play the sport and, for my part no less than, transfer nearer to the type of soccer he in the end desires.
After the Watford recreation final season, during which he was seen berating his gamers after we scored a aim, he defined his frustration:
I didn’t like how we had been controlling the sport. We needed to make 300,000 passes within the opposition half and once they have the precise second to return at us, then we are able to assault them.
It appears fairly clear {that a} signing like Vieira is a vital ingredient in that sense, and whereas there’ll nonetheless most likely be these video games the place now we have to dig in, if we’re shifting in the direction of a extra technically assured workforce that dominates possession and negates the specter of the opposition by having extra of the ball, I’m all for it.
So, welcome to Fabio Vieira, let’s see what’s subsequent by way of incoming offers, however this one appears fairly thrilling to me.
Until tomorrow.
