Happy Friday peeps, how we all doing?

At this point in time I really think there’s nothing else I can add on the Merino stuff until he’s actually in through the revolving doors at London Colney, so despite there being another ‘angle’ on his potential arrival (not in the Sociedad squad for a friendly yesterday), I don’t think I have any more words to spin about this particular deal. Sorry.

Likewise I don’t think I can really be bothered to engage with the whole Nketiah stuff either. Sorry x2.

Instead, I’m thinking about Fabio Vieira this morning, because his is a curious case that I think might not come to the conclusion I had wondered about when he arrived. When he arrived we were getting this impressive kid from Porto who could play across a variety of positions; he was a real Swiss-Army knife of a player who has played all over the park, by all accounts. If TransferMarkt is anything to go by, he’s played in seven different positions for both Porto and The Arsenal, but most predominantly as an attacking midfielder. In total in that position he’s made 49 appearances in that position – 10 last season with us, 10 the season before with us, then 20 with Porto the season before that. So you’d think by all accounts that’s where he’s most likely to feature, right?

The challenge he has is that this pre season he’s been shunted out wide right all summer, to make way for more time for Ethan Nwaneri, which has set a few tongues wagging as to whether he has a long term future with us. When we signed him I was kind of excited; I didn’t know much about him, but the idea of a versatile player who could operate across the front three or in midfield, who plays more on the interior, a little like our version of Bernardo Silva (Portuguese connection too made me think of that) was attractive to me. But when he arrived he was injured and that didn’t exactly set him off on the best footing to make the most of his Arsenal career, which as I’ve already talked about when referencing Gabriel Jesus, getting a proper pre season for these players is massive. He had to play catch up from the moment he arrived through the front door and the season before last  he joined a team that as we now know, was going to compete for the league. That makes it extra tough to get in. Then, last summer, he had himself another injury from the end of June until the beginning of August, as well as his form having dipped at the end of his first season and I think confidence had hampered him. He looked good in that 2-2 draw against Fulham at home when he came on as a sub and many of us (me included) thought that he might kick on from there. But his game time was in-and-out and then in November he picked up an injury that kept him out for 83 days and 15 matches. When he returned he was joining a team on a brilliant winning run and as a result it was hard to get in to the team.

So here we are, with two season’s of Fabio Vieira and we don’t really know:

  1. How big his potential is
  2. How fit he can stay throughout the season
  3. Where he will be best suited to play

He may have played at right wing in the absence of Saka whilst he was on holiday, but do you really think that Arteta is thinking about him as the natural deputy to our Starboy, if he needs rotation or is injured?

I don’t. I think if we need to find a solution it’ll be Gabriel Jesus at right wing, just like when we played 115 Charges FC at home, who will get the nod.

So where does Fabio Vieira fit in this Arsenal team? Is he Odegaard’s rotation option? The form of Nwaneri and the fact he’s been preferred this summer suggests that’s not 100% clear. Is he going to play left eight? That hasn’t happened so far and if/when Merino comes in, that path is even more blocked. He’s played as a support striker in Porto but Arteta hasn’t used him, plus although he played left wing for Porto a few times, I can’t see him preferred to Martinelli or Trossard, can you?

Fabio Vieira is in a bit of a pickle here I think, because unless he does something impressive as a cameo sub over a number of games, I am struggling to see how he fits in to this Arsenal side. I watched the game on Wednesday and he barely saw any of the ball. Most of the action went on for our left hand side and whilst that may be because Gabriel Jesus tends to drift over there and he was operating as a central striker, sometimes you just need to be the one to take the initiative and it didn’t really feel like Fabio did.

I really want him to succeed. Heck, I’m greedy, I want every Arsenal player to be immense the second they step on the pitch. But having had high hopes for our version of Bernardo Silva two season’s ago, I am starting to wonder if that will ever come to fruition.

I don’t think the ship has completely sailed though. I know plenty of Arsenal fans who – like me – can see something in this kid. He has an eye for a pass, he can score goals, he’s a good runner in to space. But he needs to be taking the bull by the horns now and proving that he can step up. Take Trossard as your example, Fabio, because he has forced his way in to the starting XI through his output and performances. We know you have goals, assists and contribution in you, but you just need to show it now.

Back tomorrow for some more musings.