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Who Is Fabio Vieira And Why Are Arsenal Paying €40m For Him?

Fabio Vieira is set to become Arsenal's third summer signing of 2022. But who is Fabio Vieira and why are Arsenal paying €40m for him?

Robert Summerscales

Who Is Fabio Vieira And Why Are Arsenal Paying €40m For Him?
Who Is Fabio Vieira And Why Are Arsenal Paying €40m For Him? /

Fabio Vieira is set to become Arsenal's third summer signing of 2022 after Porto revealed that a €40 million deal has been agreed between the two clubs.

A statement published by Porto this week explained that Arsenal will pay an initial fee of €35m, with the remaining €5m "dependent on the achievement of sporting objectives".

Vieira is expected to start work as an Arsenal player on July 1 along with fellow newbies Marquinhos and Matt Turner.

Who Is Fabio Vieira?

Vieira, 22, is not a household name outside of Portugal and he is yet to earn a cap with the senior national team.

But he has already made an impact at international level after being named Player of the Tournament at last year's UEFA European Under 21 Championship.

Vieira was the star man in the Portugal side that went all the way to the final, only to lose 1-0 to Germany.

Fabio Vieira pictured playing for Portugal at the UEFA Under 21 European Championship in 2021
Fabio Vieira pictured playing for Portugal at the UEFA Under 21 European Championship in 2021 :: IMAGO/Sportimage/Jonathan Moscrop

He did conquer Europe at junior level with Porto though, winning the UEFA Youth League in 2019.

Since graduating to Porto's first team in 2020, Vieira has played 75 games and scored 10 goals.

Vieira will leave Porto as a two-time Primeira Liga winner.

He also lifted the Taca de Portugal trophy - Portugal's main national cup competition - in his final season with Porto.

Vieira is a no.10 by design but he has also played as the lead frontman, on both wings and even in central midfield for Porto.

He is more likely to assist a goal than to score himself. In 1,329 league minutes for Porto last season he provided six goals and 14 assists.

But Vieira can be dangerous if allowed to shoot with his favored left foot.

His top attributes are his control, dribbling, passing and vision.

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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.

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