Arsenal have completed the signing of Porto’s playmaker, Fabio Vieira on a £30m + £4m deal. The 22-year-old was on the wishlist of a lot of European clubs, but the player chose Arsenal over everyone. He was one of their most productive players last season and helped them seal the league title. Vieira also represented his former club in the UEFA Champions League, but injuries limited his game-time. Mikel Arteta is building a young team and is on the hunt for attacking players. They have players like Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Ødegaard, who can partner with the Portuguese in the midfield and create chances for their team for a top-4 finish in the English Premier League.
Vieira is an attacking midfielder who started on the right for Porto in the UEFA Champions League. He was subbed on in two matches and spent 96 minutes on the field in the elite competition. Vieira provided an assist in the game against Liverpool. Saka operated on the right, and Ødegaard also drifted towards the right side during the matches. Arteta might play Saka in the false nine role and allow the other players to operate on their favoured side.
The above viz shows the passing and progression stats of the midfielder in comparison to other midfielders in the UEFA Champions League last season. When looking at the above chart, the general rule is that the longer the bar, the better the performance — you can see the league average in the middle, and the % is the percentile rank the player is in. He has a high percentile rank due to the limited opportunities he got in the Champions League. He attempted 39 passes with an accuracy rate of 82.05%. The player was a threat as he attempted six crosses, two smart passes, and a through pass.
The above viz shows all the passes attempted by the attacker. It can be observed that he only attempted a single pass from inside the opposition’s penalty box. He tried to find his teammates inside the opposition’s penalty box, and a few of his crosses landed around the penalty spot.
When looking at the attacking side of the player, he was involved in 12.19 attacking actions and had a huge success rate of 84.6%. Vieira only attempted a single shot in the tournament. He also penetrated the opposition’s penalty box by taking three touches inside it.
Fabio Vieira made 27 appearances for Porto in the domestic league. He scored six goals and provided 14 assists. The Gunners will be expecting the player to take the same momentum into the next season and help them to a top-4 finish in the league table. Mikel Arteta will also try to adjust the midfielder to the squad during the pre-season.
