Arsenal has secured the signing of Fabio Vieira in a £34m deal from Porto FC, with the 22-year-old midfielder becoming the third arrival at the Emirates this summer after goalkeeper Matt Turner and Brazilian forward Marquinhos.
The creative midfielder attracted interest from a number of clubs throughout Europe after helping to lead Porto to the Portuguese Liga title last season, when he recorded seven goals and 16 assists in all competitions.
In June of 2021, Fabio was named Player of the Tournament at the European Under-21 Championships after guiding Portugal to the final of the competition.
“I am very excited that we have identified and signed such a special talent,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told the club’s official web site, arsenal.com. “Fabio is a very creative player that will bring high quality and versatility to our attacking play.”
Renowned Portuguese football journalist Tom Kundert, of Portugoal.net views the acquisition as “a really exciting signing for Arsenal. Without a doubt he’s one of Portugal’s most promising, up-and-coming talents. He’s very stylish, an extremely smooth operator … and a potent attacking weapon. For me the thing that makes him stand out as a star is his vision. He is a fantastic passer,” Kundert told arsenal.com.
“He’s left-footed but he tends to play on the right – last season at least – he cuts in and shoots or picks out one of his fantastic passes with his left foot,” continued Kundert. “He’s a bit of an all-rounder, but definitely more of an attacking midfielder than a defensive one. He can play number 10 as well.”