Signed for £34m, now worth £7m: Arteta may regret deal for "phenomenal" Arsenal talent - opinion

Manchester City have pipped them to victory, with Pep Guardiola’s side looking to make it seven titles in the last eight seasons come the end of May.
Liverpool have been the only side since the 2017/18 campaign to dethrone City, with Arteta hoping to finally get one over on his former employers this term and make it third time lucky.

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His side have been set up for success in recent years after their excellent recruitment in the transfer market, signing numerous talents who have propelled them to the top end of England’s top division.

However, one window brought about real excitement amongst the fanbase after the additions of multiple players with experience of winning the Premier League.

Arsenal’s summer transfer window in 2022
In what was the club’s first real push to compete with Guardiola’s side, the hierarchy splashed the cash to give Arteta the best chance of having bragging rights over his compatriot.

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The additions of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from City obviously brought excitement amongst supporters after their time at the Etihad, which saw the duo each win four league titles during their respective times in Manchester.

The aforementioned pairing arrived with the knowledge of what it takes to get over the line and secure the title, potentially helping the Gunners end their long wait for a Premier League crown.

Within the same window, the club made a move for American shot-stopper Matt Turner from MLS side New England Revolution, moving to the Emirates as backup to Aaron Ramsdale after Bernd Leno left to join Fulham.

Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Alexandre Lacazette all departed the club as Arteta looked to trim down his squad whilst adding quality in certain areas and bolstering their top four ambitions.

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The 42-year-old also signed one other player, but his time in North London certainly hasn’t gone to plan, looking to be a waste of money up until now.

Fabio Vieira’s market value in 2024
Midfielder Fabio Vieira joined the Gunners from Portuguese side Porto during the summer of 2022, with his real expectations placed on his shoulders given his huge £34m transfer.

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The 24-year-old, who’s previously been dubbed as “phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, enjoyed a relatively impressive first campaign in North London, scoring two and assisting six in his 33 appearances - which included a wonder strike on his debut against Brentford.

However, his game time has significantly decreased since his debut campaign, making just 16 appearances last time around, starting just twice all season in the Premier League.

As a result, Vieira has been shipped out on loan to Porto, the side from which he joined, in a bid to resurrect his confidence and hopefully return him to the levels he demonstrated before his big-money transfer.

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Should he fail to impress in his home country this season, the midfielder could see him out of Arteta’s plans, which could spell the end of his disappointing stint in North London.

Vieira has already seen his market value plummet as a result of his lack of minutes in the club’s first-team since his transfer, with Football Transfers now only valuing the 24-year-old at £7m - a drop of £27m in just two seasons.

Fabio Vieira's stats for Arsenal (2022-2024)

Statistics

Tally

Games played

49

Cost per game

£695k

Goals scored

3

Cost per goal

£11.3m

Assists

9

Cost per assist

£3.7m

Minutes played

1886

Cost per minute played

£18k

Stats via Transfermarkt

It’s such a shame to see a player endure such a drop-off in a short space of time, but he simply hasn’t been able to replicate his performance levels from his first few months at the club - subsequently being unable to dislodge Martin Odegaard from the starting lineup.

As a result, Arteta will undoubtedly monitor his progress over the next couple of months, potentially having a huge decision to make and offloading the ace to avoid losing any more money on their sizeable investment.


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