Who is Fabio Vieira? Arsenal's new €40 million transfer from Porto

16 Jun 2022 19:00 BST
3 min read

Fabio Vieira – the €30m Porto wonderkid wanted by Arsenal — © ProShots

Arsenal are set to complete the signing of Porto's Fabio Vieira after the two sides agreed a deal worth €40 million.

The 22-year-old will travel to England ahead of signing a five-year deal with Mikel Arteta's side after leading Porto to the league title this season.

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Vieira had been tracked by Arsenal for a number of years as well as Liverpool and Manchester City however the Gunners appear to have won the race for the Portuguese wonderkid.

What position does Fabio Vieira play in?

Vieira is a versatile left-footed midfielder capable of playing anywhere behind the striker as well as deeper as a central player.

He made the majority of his appearances for Porto this season at attacking midfield but also played up front as a false nine as well as out wide at times.

How good is Fabio Vieira?

Vieira boasted some of the best creative stats in Europe this season, grabbing a league-high 14 assists despite only starting 15 games.

He also scored six times in just 1329 minutes of domestic football and won the Primeira Liga Midfielder of the Month award in April.

Vieira has yet to be capped by Portugal but scored 13 times in 21 games for the under-21 side and was also named as the player of the tournament in the 2021 U21 European Championships.

He came through the Porto ranks and had made 27 league apperances in his first two seasons but he matched that tally this campaign after coming off the bench 12 times.

The wonderkid has also drawn comparisons to Manchester City star Bernardo Silva due to his technical skill and versatility as well as his work rate and ability deeper on the pitch.

Vieira scored a total of ten goals in 75 games across all competitions for Porto.

Fábio Vieira's 2021/22 Primeira Liga season by numbers:

◎ 27 appearances
◎ 46 shots
◎ 34 chances created
◎ 21 take-ons completed
◎ 14 Big Chances created
◉ 14 assists
◎ 6 goals

The joint-mosts assists and he only played 1,327 minutes. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gJYmPbqxG0
— Squawka (@Squawka) June 16, 2022

When does Fabio Vieira's contract expire?

Fabio Vieira's Porto contract expires in 2025 and it also contained a release clause of €50m, although the Gunners are believed to have negotiated a fee of €35m plus €5m in add-ons.