Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Fabio Vieira from FC Porto for a fee believed to be in the region of €35m plus bonuses.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder arrives as something of a surprise signing, with nobody having a clue Arsenal were in talks for him until the deal was almost completed.
Arsenal have now confirmed the deal through an update on the online store.
Technical Director Edu said: “We’re so pleased to have completed the signing of Fabio from FC Porto. Fabio is a player with special qualities who is comfortable with the ball in the final third of the pitch.
“We are all looking forward to working with him and enjoying his future contribution to Arsenal. We will now continue to work hard and are looking forward to finishing this transfer window as strongly possible.”
Mikel Arteta added: “I am very excited that we have identified and signed such a special talent. Fabio is a very creative player that will bring high quality and versatility to our attacking play.
“We welcome Fabio and his family to our club and are looking forward to starting work with him ahead of the new season.”
It is believed that Vieira has signed a five-year deal, and you can read more about that here.
It seemed like a whirlwind deal for Arsenal fans, with the supporters learning of the club’s interest in FC Porto’s Vieira just hours before reports that a fee had been agreed.
Less than a day later, Porto had announced that fee agreement, and the transfer has now been announced. Yet Arsenal have spent a lot longer working on this deal.
Fabrizio Romano reports for Caught Offside that Arsenal’s scouting department had been monitoring Vieira for more than a year before making their recent move.
In the end, it was Mikel Arteta’s opinion that drove the actual signing, as the manager is convinced the midfielder will be a key player both now and in the future.
Vieira had somewhat of a breakthrough campaign with Porto this season, scoring seven goals and assisting 16 in 39 appearances (21 starts). That works out as a goal contribution every 87 minutes.
The Portugal u21 international also scored seven goals and assisted two in eight games for his national team’s youth side over the same period, after winning Player of the Tournament at the u21 Euros last summer.