Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira has now played 30 games for FC Porto in all competitions whilst back on loan at his boyhood club this season.
In total, Vieira has now scored four goals and provided four assists for Porto and the Arsenal midfielder is seemingly improving with every game.
When he first arrived at the club, Mikel Arteta was incredibly excited about Vieira, stating his lofty ambitions for his new number 10.
However, the Portuguese midfielder never really enjoyed a consistent run of games in north London despite arriving all the way back in 2022.
Now, it’s hard to envision how Vieira will ever get the chance to star under Arteta, particularly given that Ethan Nwaneri is now making a strong case to replace Martin Odegaard as Arsenal’s number 10.
Fabio Vieira hailed as a ‘genius’ playing in a new position for FC Porto
Either way, it bodes well for the Gunners that Vieira is thriving out on loan, a player who is still under contract at Arsenal until 2027.
And following Vieira’s efforts for Porto against Arouca FC on Saturday evening in a 2-0 win, the Arsenal loanee was hailed as the best player on the pitch by Portuguese outlet A Bola.
Interestingly, Vieira played in a very unfamiliar position in the first half, sitting as one of Porto’s deep-lying midfielders, operating as a number six.
The Arsenal man played slightly further forward in the second half when he grabbed his goal, a performance that was said to have ‘unleashed the genius’.
Translated from Portuguese, A Bola wrote: “After scoring at Estadio do Dragao against V. Guimaraes in the previous round, the midfielder was once again instrumental in FC Porto’s victory in Arouca, scoring a goal that calmed the waters when the result was a complete unknown.
“He started the match playing as an 8-man, with Martin Anselmi asking him to take charge of the team’s attacking play, but in the second half he freed himself from some tactical constraints and began to show off his footballing skills.
“First, he sent a ball onto the crossbar, in yet another involved play, but in the second half he had an accurate shot that gave the team some confidence at a crucial moment in the game.
“He is gradually improving in form. The only blemish was the yellow card that ruled him out of the important match in Braga.”
Mikel Arteta didn’t make a mistake with Fabio Vieira
Of course, seeing how well Vieira is playing in Portugal, it’s easy to point the finger at Arteta accusing the Spaniard of making a mistake in the summer when allowing him to leave on loan.
However, Vieira had been struggling at Arsenal and seemingly lost a lot of confidence during a spell when he was often picking up injuries and not playing.
