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£34m Arsenal player’s reputation really suffered after two Premier League matches last season
The reputation of Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira suffered after their matches against Bournemouth and Southampton last season.
A report from The Athletic has outlined how Arsenal might try and replace Swiss international Granit Xhaka.
The 30-year-old has been heavily linked with a move back to the Bundesliga this summer.
His time at Arsenal has been mixed, but in the last 12 months has become a fan favourite at The Emirates.
Arsenal are now looking to sign West Ham United captain Declan Rice as his potential replacement.
The 24-year-old is Mikel Arteta’s top target, with Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia also of interest to The Gunners.
With Thomas Partey now potentially on his way out too, some of Arsenal’s current players will need to step up regardless of how many players they sign.
One player whom Arsenal will want to improve his reputation after a tough first season is Fabio Vieira.
After making the £34m switch from Porto last summer, he’s not had the desired impact over the past 12 months.
A lack of consistent game time hasn’t helped him bed in at The Emirates.
Vieira reputation at Arsenal damaged after two games
The report from The Athletic states that, ‘Circumstances like Arsenal conceding within 30 seconds twice at home when Vieira started in his place, against Bournemouth and Southampton, were not helpful for the Portuguese’s reputation.’
Vieira’s performance in the match against Bournemouth has been largely forgotten due to Reiss Nelson’s incredible last-minute winner.
He was substituted for Xhaka after 84 minutes with the Gunners still chasing that winning goal.
Arsenal’s 3-3 draw with Southampton partially derailed their title challenge and Vieira didn’t even reach the hour mark.
Vieira would have hoped he can improve his reputation away from Arsenal at the under-21 European Championships this summer.
It’s a tournament that Emile Smith Rowe will also be hoping to use to show Mikel Arteta what he can do.
Unfortunately, Vieira has had to withdraw from the Portugal squad due to injury, which is especially upsetting given he’s the team’s captain.
There have been suggestions Vieira could be sold less than a year after joining the club.
That seems unlikely, but he won’t have long to prove himself at The Emirates, especially with the club on an upward trajectory.
