The Arsenal manager has confirmed Fabio Vieira now fully understands what is needed to break into the Gunners side on a permanent basis.
WHAT HAPPENED? Fabio Vieira’s arrival at the Emirates last summer was lauded as one of the best pieces of business any club carried out during the transfer window. The deal, believed to be worth up to £34m, hasn’t worked out as well as both parties would have hoped to this point, though, as the Portuguese midfielder has started one solitary Premier League game, netting in the 3-0 win at Brentford back in September. For Arteta, it’s a case of playing to his strengths in order to get the best out of the 22-year-old
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WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking before Arsenal’s trip to Leicester, the Spaniard said: “He is starting to give me big headaches because I see every single day what he is capable of doing. A tremendous player; he now understands exactly what we want and physically he is in a condition to compete at the right level in this league. He brings qualities that we don’t have in the squad. Very eager to give him more [minutes].
“if we give him the ball in the right spaces, and if we ask him to do some defensive work he can do… if we put him in front of goal the amount of times that we want to do, I think he will do really well in this league.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: While Viera’s Premier League minutes have been sporadic at best, having made 13 substitute appearances, he has played an integral role in Arsenal’s Europa League campaign, drafted in whenever Arteta sees fit to rotate his side. He started every one of the Gunners’ six group games, getting a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win over Bodo/Glimt back in October.
