Arsenal's new signing Fabio Vieira: Everything you need to know
Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign FC Porto attacking midfielder Fabio Vieira for €35 million, with a further €5m possible in performance-related add-ons, but what type of player are they getting? 50dTor-Kristian Karlsen 1dTor-Kristian Karlsen 290dTor-Kristian Karlsen 2 Related Vieira, 22, played 39 games across all competitions last season, registering seven goals and 16 assists, while in his career for the Portuguese club he had 10 goals and 18 assists from 76 games. Coming through the club's youth academy, he made his first-team debut on June 10, 2020 against Maritimo. He has yet to make his debut for the senior Portugal national team, but is the captain of the under-21 side and has 13 goals from 20 games since making his debut on Nov. 14, 2019. He was named in the Team of the Tournament as Portugal U19s finished second to Spain in the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, while he also starred at the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, picking up the award for Best Player as Portugal finished as runners-up behind Germany. So what can Arsenal expect? We dig into the data, as well as asking former scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen and ESPN Senior Writer James Olley for their assessments. Position At 5-foot-7, Vieira lacks the physical size to dominate the midfield like his namesake Patrick Vieira did for years at Arsenal. Indeed, he's a very different style of midfielder to the legendary Frenchman. Vieira has played in a number of positions, including as a No. 10, a No. 8 and a second striker. He tends to play centrally behind the striker(s) or cuts in from the right onto his stronger left foot, as his touchmap below shows. By the numbers Vieira has some impressive stats among his FC Porto peers this season, playing 27 of the club's 34 league games on the way to winning a second successive title and the Portuguese cup. *Stats based on Primeira Liga 2021-22 only. Touches: 1,082 (10th)Pass Accuracy: 82.9% (16th)Chances created: 34 (5th)Shots: 46 (6th)Tackle Accuracy 48.3% (6th)Expected Goals: 3.68 (6th)Expected Assists: 5.00 (3rd) Strengths Rapid turns and a change of pace, mixed with a low centre of gravity, make the attacking midfielder a headache for opponents and an entertainer for the fans. When in form, he can advance forward by slaloming past defenders and is dangerous in the final third. His left foot is excellent, and while he hits a powerful shot, he is also sensitive enough to thread well-weighted passes to runners behind the defensive line. -- Karlsen. He was involved in 23% of Porto's goals in the Portuguese league last season, so is an attacking threat with an eye for a key pass. However, he can also score himself and isn't afraid to take on a shot from distance. How he can improve Vieira can be slightly selfish and prone to taking on an opponent too many times. As with most other talents who thrive on their technical ability, he can improve his defensive discipline.
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