BALTIMORE — After missing out on Champions League qualification last season, Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar and manager Mikel Arteta have been hard at work to reinforce the squad ahead of the upcoming Premier League season. The new additions to the club bring a new vision as it seeks a return to prominence, and more importantly, Champions League access a year from now.
Gabriel Jesus will lead the line and USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner will add depth as a backup striving for regular minutes, but Fabio Vieira might be the most interesting addition of them all — and not just because he shares the same surname as another Arsenal legend.
Hailing from Porto where he’s been with the club’s youth setup since 2008, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder is making his first big move to Premier League football in a $38 million switch to the Emirates in which he describes “happened quickly and smoothly.”
Vieira powered Porto to a league title with seven goals and 16 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions and is expected to offer another option to Martin Odegaard under Arteta’s setup. But based on his versatility, the two could easily coexist, which would give the Gunners a more flexible formation. The Portuguese youngster spoke to CBS Sports about his new home, his expectations and transitioning to one of the top leagues in the world during Arsenal’s preseason stop in Baltimore.
“It’s my big change, it’s my first big change,” Vieira said when asked about the challenges of his move to London. “I’ve always played in Porto and now it’s another club, another country, another culture. Everything is different, but I’m looking forward to it and I’m very confident to start playing and this season I look forward to good things.”
It’s never easy for a young player to move to a new club, let alone leave the place he calls home, but this transitions should be eased given how stable…
Source : cbssports
