"Many people in England are maybe asking why Arsenal are paying that money" - Pedro Sepulveda defends new signing Fabio Vieira and explains the tactical flexibility he brings to the side

Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda has defended Arsenal's new signing Fabio Vieira and has suggested that he could bring a lot of tactical flexibility to Mikel Arteta's side.

Arsenal officially confirmed the signing of the 22-year-old Portuguese youth international yesterday. According to The Athletic, the Gunners have signed the attacking midfielder for a fee potentially rising to €40 million (£34.26 million).

Vieira had an impressive season for Porto last time out, scoring seven goals and providing 16 assists in 39 games across all competitions.

The versatile midfielder, however, was not a first-team regular under Sergio Conceicao, which is evident from his total number of 1990 minutes played.

Sepulveda has suggested (via Sky Sports) that he would offer Mikel Arteta plenty of options thanks to his ability to play in a range of positions.

“We are talking about a player who plays on the right wing and he uses his game to move from the wing to the middle. But he can easily play in other places like the left wing and as an offensive midfielder, a No 10, as he is not that fast. But he has a lot of flexibility with the ball and very good positioning without the ball as well," Sepulveda said.

Sepulveda has claimed that Arsenal fans should not be worried about Vieira being in and out of the starting XI at Porto.

“Many people in England are maybe asking why Arsenal are paying that money for a player who was not always in the Porto XI, but if you look at the numbers, they do not lie – he played 39 games for Porto last season, with seven goals and 16 assists," Sepulveda said.

“If you look at the goals he scored, they were all in important matches. He scored against Sporting, the champions from the previous season, and against Benfica, Porto’s other great rival. And the time he was on the pitch, he was making great performances, including in the Champions League too," he added.

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Will Fabio Vieira be a good signing for Arsenal?

Fabio Vieira is indeed a very talented player with exceptional technical ability and a killer left foot. The 22-year-old will offer Arteta plenty of options with his versatility. He is capable of playing as a number ten, on either flank or even as a central midfielder.

Vieira is expected to provide competition to the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe for a place in the starting 11.

Still very young in his career, the Portuguese under-21 international has a bright future ahead of himself and should do well at the Emirates.