Sadly, I have written this too many times over the years, and fear it won’t be the only time I write this this week.
Mikel Arteta continues to believe that it’s standard practise to give up on talent with the Kroenke Family unable or unwilling to correct him.
It’s believed that Fabio Vieira will be the latest Gunner loaned out. A market once used for the players development now a method to get talent off the wage bill.
The more Arsenal have this business model, the more others will take advantage. If you use Porto’s interest in Vieira as an example. It’s been obvious for over a year the midfielder doesn’t have a future in North London. It’s Edu’s job to then get the best possible deal for his employers. He’s not doing us a favour, he gets paid thousands of pounds a week to do so.
Yet why would the Portuguese giants offer a fee when they know Arsenal’s willingness to essentially give away assets to lower costs.
It’s like a game of poker. By waiting for the last week of the transfer window our bluff has been called and we have blinked first.
Now clearly there are Gooners who think the definition of a supporter is to say everything is perfect with the team they love.
In reality you can rate our manager, think the club have a positive future but still point out aspects that need improving.
Arsenal gave 35 million to the Dragons for Vieira in 2022, only to them let them have him back for a season two years later.
Who got the better of that deal?
Imagine being able to sell something for millions then to get that item back for free!
On sporting merit, it’s another signing under the current regime fans are supposed to just accept hasn’t worked out. From a business point of view, it’s irresponsible.
Including Lokonga and Tavares, approx. 60 million has been invested on three players to be loaned out. While no one will publicly admit this, none of these loans are a chance for anyone to prove they belong in our first team.
The public line is that Vieira needs minutes and that’s true, but it’s worrying we couldn’t find a short-term home for him In England. Even the Championship would have been better for him then a return home.
Back in his homeland he will be surrounded by comforts, but it won’t tell us anything about him we don’t know.
In 2022 he looked technically very good, but could he handle the physical nature of the League?
Two years later we ask the same question.
There is no obligation for Porto to buy, this is simply a cost cutting exercise at a time we need to be raising funds for a striker.
Dan
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I think Viera still has a future at Arsenal. Nobody knows the players mental state maybe he’s homesick and arsenal giving him the go ahead to go get back on track back home makes perfect sense. Futhermore this move thrusts Young Ethan into a position where he will get more minutes. So the way i see it we are killing two birds with one stone here.
Now that you have mentioned Ethan, I agree it would be a nice opportunity to see more of him this season as letting Viera go shows that Arteta thinks Ethan can do a job when called on.
Ethan will get more minutes? Wishful thinking…
when you buy players for 30 odd millions, you expect them to get minutes. Vieira was never trusted, Arteta’s fault. And he still has value. Lokonga and Tevarez I am not bothered, net net we lose nothing on them
No it’s okay Dan. I like your articles. Write away
Cheers lol
Just Below was a post I made earlier today.
“Brilliant deals when Nketiah’s is finally completed, perhaps Nelson will join them next season as his contract is much longer and we can afford to carry him this season. We are steadily building the right team, hope we don’t sign players like Fabio Viera anymore to stunt our growth, but reap the benefits of spending big. I really do hope Viera turns out not to be a big fail considering the amount we spent on him, £34m. Players like Lonkonga, Marquihos and Tavares were just chance buys as all three of them combined did not cost as much as Viera or even up to £30m.”
Fabio remains one of the bad signings we’ve made until proves otherwise. Tavares cannot count as a bad investment because at the end of his loan deal to Lazio with an obligation to buy we would be making a profit of €1m, and Lonkong’s would be a loss of about €8m. I don’t really rate the Tavares and Lokonga’s situations the same as Fabio Viera when you consider the money spent as all top clubs make such buys every now and then, some turn out well like Martinelli others don’t. My main concern is that we do not do a Fabio Viera again which to me was the foremost reason we sold ESR.
So he has been found out by us and everyone else. Moving forward, what’s the problem with now getting his over £4 million wages (btw, over 7 times what they were previously paying him) which has reportedly been agreed to be paid by Porto until an acceptable offer for purchase comes from whoever given his current contract is through 2027?
Because that means he was a waste of money in the first place
I would like to differ with the writer of this article. First of all, Arteta was accused of not promoting young players to the first team, now he comes out and says there are a few Academy players that he thinks are ready for EPL after taking them on tour with the first team.
For the past one or two years, goobers here were convinced that Viera or ESR was cover for Odegaard. Even l can see what Arteta is trying to do….., sell ESR and promote Nwaneri without compromising the quality and balance of the team because Nwaneri is ready. The move to send Vieira on loan can only be positive. I believe Vieira will have a chance to find his for and MOJO back which would increase his value ultimately. Chelsea and Manchester City are reaping rewards by selling academy graduates because l believe that is pure profit. I don’t belive Vieira would be sold for less than 25m pounds after this loan deal. So after his wages have been paid by Porto for a full year a sale of say 30m would mean we would have made a profit. His game Vs Brentford brought much publicity for his technical abilities but injuries were not kind to him. That was the day Nwaneri got his debut l think. Arteta has been careful with Nwaneri but l think the boy is ready.
That’s a more nuanced assessment yes. When Vieira was bought, he was highly rated and showing high growth potential in Portugal. His physicality was known to be not his strongest point. We were not exactly flush with better options at the time. He has become stronger since joining Arsenal but he’s not getting the minutes to develop much further at the moment. A loan back to Porto now, makes total sense to me in that regard. We brought him in a little too early – these things happen when options are limited. Sometimes enough things line up at a given time, that a dice roll is acceptable. Even Man City needs to do that from time to time – think Grealish and Phillips. And they spent much more!
I do worry that we don’t have much natural cover for Ødegaard if he is injured or needs rotation, so hopefully Nwaneri is able to step up at the level we need.
So Ethan is ready
But Smith-Rowe wasn’t ready ?
Viera is not ready ?
It’s not about ready
Arteta doesn’t trust easily
He didn’t trust Smith-Rowe and Viera, u think he’ll give Ethan a chance ?
Nelson can’t even get 5 minutes in matches we’ve already won comfortably
We’ll see Ethan only in the League Cup
Vieira is good technically but very poor physical,I wish he played with the speed of reyes to compensate on that.Sambi Tierney would have been given time to develop they could have fetched us $100m,Nketiah would just been left to fight for position or send on loan to develop as he is a promising player
OT!
Merino is now official, hope some can now relax.
👍
Perhaps Arsenal was waiting to officially release Viera’s on loan before announcing Mikel Merino.
You could be right. Who knows? The thing that is annoying is when gooners automatically assume the worst when there may be very good reason(s) for things not happening when and how they expect based on the very few actual facts of the matter that are available. I like to assume that we have extremely competent although not perfect people running our club and always trying their best.
Every Club makes errors of judgement when it comes to recruitment with Man City and Brighton probably the most efficient Clubs in this department.What surprises me with the Arsenal recruitment team is their apparent reluctance to acquire players from the Championship which is a highly competitive and physical league which has been used to bring in young talent by other Premier League Clubs and well known European sides.Examples which come to mind include Gyokeres,Morgan Rogers,Jiao Pedro,Archie Gray etc.In essence,perhaps our scouts should look closer to home to recruit promising young players in future.
Agree fully. It does seem like more players could be culled from the Championship ranks. The value of good scouting in your own back yard shouldn’t be underestimated.
Sometimes Dan, your logic and reasoning is a great source for debate and this article is one of them, in my opinion.
You have, however, missed out the fact that ESR was sold for a healthy profit, looks like Nketiah will do the same and even Nelson might be helping out with the coffers.
The fees for those three might cover the outlay on the players you mention, but not the salaries they enjoyed – ESR being the only reasonable figure at a reported £40k a week.
I think I need to understand that MA is good at improving players already at a high level, but doesn’t seem to have the time to do that with those on a lower level.
Whether he has the ability to do that, or if Mr Kronkie has the patience to let him are two questions that remain unanswered, but I think the latter is probably the answer.
As for other clubs taking advantage, if, as you say, the players are not good enough for The Arsenal and we can’t sell them, what’s wrong with getting them off the wage structure?
Good points Ken. Dan’s articles are typically very good but he so often only works one side of the fence (maybe his goal is to trigger more comments that way).
Because mate I question why are we spending over 30 million on a player two years we later is not got good enough to play or sell and I think that happens too often
So you and perhaps others believe it happens too often. Regardless, isn’t it simply best to determine the best path forward after it is decided that an error was made or conditions have changed?
Shouldn’t the club compare what sale opportunities (if any) are available vs loaning the player or having him sit on the bench (or in the stands)? What would you propose as the best solution for the transfer problems you suggest? Try to make less errors? I think that’s likely their goal already. If they can’t make less errors it would seem the only alternative seems to changing management or ownership personnel. Is that what you propose?
Sorry to jump into your conversation Bruised Banana, but for the Vieira situation I have a possible solution.
Many were concerned about the “physical” aspect of Vieira’s game, or the lack thereof Myself and quite a few others mentioned this as a concern before spending 34 million on his transfer.
Unfortunately for him and our club, these concerns have proved to be valid, and without pace his technical abilities rarely come through and shine.
Many of the transfers since seem to have taken this into account; Havertz, Calafiori and Merino being good examples of players with a “physical” aspect that was considered when going after players.
Mistakes happen, but learning from them is what counts in my opinion. I don’t know if Edu and Arteta truly considered this, but after Vieira we have not been shopping for small technical players who lack a physical presence to their game.
I meant “after” his transfer, not before, because no one saw it coming. After his signing, his boyish physique was a cause of concern both in midfield and on the wing.
No problem. I appreciate the input.
That does seem to be the trend with the more recent transfers. I doubt if Dan will recognize any learning from their mistakes any time soon thou assuming that’s what it is.
I agree Durand, especially when one looks at the signings made since Vierira arrived.
Think about how our previous manager was pilloried for buying “smaller” players and yet no criticism is aimed at the people responsible for the same kind of signings.
I’m content that they have learnt though and hope to see a forward on the books before the window shuts.
Who told you the club want to sell him?
Honest question what is the issue with the salaries? Salaries in my view are only an issue if Arsenal are near the wage ceiling and it prevented from making a another move. For example sure Nkeitah was on sizable wages but it didn’t prevent us from making big money moves for Gabriel J, and Kai Havertz.
The salaries just end up being a part of doing the business and protecting the players value.
What an utterly silly piece…
First of all, I thought the main problem with “promoting talent” at Arsenal was integrating youth players. A team can’t have more than 11 players on the pitch, 25 in the match squad; you simply can’t fit all of the players you own and give all of them “a fair shot.” (Not unless you really like taking unnecessary risks…)
Second, at least 2 of the 3 (Lokonga and Tavares) were long-shot signings based on assumptions about their potential. Both were given a chance, and then they just didn’t work out. The same is pretty much true about Vieira, buuuut…
Third, lumping the Vieira deal in with Lokonga and Tavares looks very much like an attempt to mislead your readers. It’s been clear for a while that Arteta isn’t satisfied with Lokonga and Tavares and they won’t be a part of his plans anymore; hence the Tavares deal includes an “obligation to buy,” and the Lokonga deal, an “option to buy.” Seeing as both seem to sit on contracts until 2026, their situation HAS TO be resolved by the end of this season.
But Vieira a) is under contract until 2027, so Arsenal don’t need to sell; and b) has been loaned out w/o any options or obligations. In other words, the club made it VERY CLEAR they were not treating him the same as Tavares or Lokonga.
In other words, this piece seems to be an attempt to rile up Arsenal fans against a club that has done *the right thing* about underperforming players, “writing off” its losses and buying time where they could to see if the talent shines through. It’s ridiculous that this is what you’ve chosen to peddle, but then, it’s your site, so you do you.
I didn’t read the comment lol
Stopped at silly piece but if it’s got you responding then it can’t be silly lol
Ha, Gotcha mate. Good bait.
An opinion can’t be click bait
Click bait is an headline which suggests something to get clicks and turns out to be misleading
I was referring to the content of the article itself not the headline and not that it was necessarily misleading. You were satisfied at being successful in getting a comment from zdzis even if the article was “silly” in their opinion and regardless of your lack of desire in reading the whole thing.
I’m satisfied that my articles create conversation
If some think it’s silly that’s their right to an opinion.
Trust me , there are many Gooners who agree that 35 million on Vieria has not been good business
I wasn’t too keen on it myself when it happened but it was only my opinion and I was hopeful that I was wrong.
I still may be proven wrong.
You might be mate
What about other elite clubs do they have success with every player they sign?
Regarding Vieira, it’s too early to conclude and if we can’t promise him game time it’s better to let him play elsewhere. Perhaps it was a mistake to give Saliba game time elsewhere also? Whether it’s a success or not it helps the player to develop and rebuild confidence.
I’m sure you’re not applying all your cognitive resources. Read articles online supporting the move and also follow what Arteta has said about the academy players and also about Merino. I see arrogance in you because you are just being sentimental. I don’t think we will make a loss from the purchase and the future sale of Vieira given what is happening on the ground.
“An opinion can’t be click bait”
Someone doesn’t understand what clickbait is…
“if it’s got you responding then it can’t be silly lol”
It’s easy to get me responding when you make big claims in public about stuff that I’m interested in. So, I got baited and you got me clickin’.
But you’re right I should’ve just let it go. It really doesn’t matter what you (or I, for that matter) think about this particular issue. I was being silly taking you seriously.
Maybe he should have used words like careless Article. You did not give too much thought to what is actually happening at the club. So yeah l feel that your argument does not even arise when you consider Academy players and the fact that Vieira will have a chance to play at Porto. It’s like you have no clue that giving him a chance to play somewhere also allows Arteta to promote youngsters and that in turn increases the value of players ( Nwaneri and Vieira all things being equal).
One really wonders what animated you to pen such a baseless article. I also don’t understand how you fail to grasp simple things like that. The club is not that stupid. These decisions are products of careful thought processes. Whereas the article is just simplistic and one dimensional. So to say ‘ a silly article’…. I think the guy was just brutal but l just implore you to read it in context with what is happening on the ground at the Emirates. I bet you will be convinced as well that it falls far short. Let’s raised the bar please and bring thoroughly researched articles that do not insult us as supporters or as a club.
Great post zdzis.
Welcome Mikel Merino. Confirmed on Official Arsenal website
Finally! I haven’t waited this long for anything. I swear, watching paint dry would’ve been a thrill ride compared to this wait.
Yes. Exciting. A good transfer window (dare I say “So far” lol)
The title seems to misrepresent the situation. Far from giving up on Vieira, Arsenal’s loan deal with Porto appears to be a strategic move for his development. Here are the key points:
No purchase option: According to reliable sources like Romano and Ornstein, Arsenal hasn’t included an option for Porto to buy Vieira. This suggests Arsenal still sees him as part of their future plans.
Guaranteed playing time: The loan reportedly includes a clause requiring Vieira to play in at least 50% of Porto’s games. This ensures he’ll get significant minutes on the pitch.
High-level experience: Porto is a Champions League club, offering Vieira valuable experience at the top level of European football.
Development opportunity: The loan gives Vieira a chance to gain regular playing time and further develop his skills in a competitive environment.
Given these factors, the loan appears to be a calculated move to nurture Vieira’s talent rather than an indication that Arsenal is giving up on him. It’s more about providing him with the right conditions to grow as a player and potentially return stronger to Arsenal’s squad.
Also worth noting at no point this summer were we reported by anyone (as far as I am aware) to be looking to sell him, unlike multiple other players.
Fairly certain Dan complained about this very fact during the window as well but is now pretending Porto forced us into a loan when we wanted to sell. Weird.
There have been no wranglings as we had with Lokonga where we wanted an obligation and had to settle for an option to buy.
It is a development loan, now you can disagree with that being the right move but it’s the decision that was made that just doesn’t fit Dan’s narrative.
Let’s see how many games he goes on to play in Prem for Arsenal if this is a development loan
Bet you 100 pound he will be sold or loaned out again next summer
Which is fine and at that point we will know the finances of any deal to sell him.
Currently, we made a profit on Tavares of at least 2.5 mil probably higher with a sell-on clause on top
Are looking at a potential l.5 mil loss on Lokonga with a sell-on clause if his option is taken up
Vieira remains unknown although at this stage I’d suspect a substantial loss if he has a bad season and we sell. He equally could have a fantastic season and we sell for a profit so unknown.
Not really what you said in the article is it?
From a footballing perspective for us none have worked out but your article was attacking the financial aspect which is just objectively wrong.
Sorry on Lokonga we will be looking at a 4 mil loss likely less then combined with Tavares it would total a 1.5 mil loss although that is very conservative estimate on the loan fees they brought in and on the transfer fees reported too. If I was to maximise every report it would be an overall profit + 2 sell-on clauses.
Tavares has been sold for 6.5 mil (he cost 8 mil) it’s an obligation to buy that is on top of the multiple loan fees we previously got for him whilst not paying his wages.
The reality is Tavares has turned a profit once the various loan fees we got have been added but that doesn’t fit your agenda does it? and you are so poorly researched on the topic that you didn’t even know that was the case just lumped him in for your agenda-driving.
Kind of tough to take the rest of the article seriously when you’ve gotten this part so badly wrong.
So after strangely admitting our losses are you taking the bet lol ?
What bet and what point are you making?
You said it was a loss and we made a profit, what are you saying at this point?
If you referring to your bet on Vieira above I never said Vieira was guaranteed to start for Arsenal after his loan.
I corrected the things you objectively had wrong in your article. You presented me with an unrelated to the article bet that I ignored because duh and here we are. You are arguing things I’ve never said to quote myself “From a footballing perspective for us none have worked out but your article was attacking the financial aspect which is just objectively wrong.”
You said it was a development loan implying it’s to get him mins to play for us correct ?
I’m saying next season he will be sold or loaned making this not a development loan
Why not answer my question 1st?
Why did you include Tavares in the article as a loss when we made a net profit?
You also never said this in the article. You said Porto had done us over by getting us to agree to a loan for free (it’s not they are paying us) and that we wanted to sell him (we didn’t.) Factually wrong on both counts.
You are now arguing a separate thing you never said in the article, is it possible that Vieira goes on a development loan this year so that we sell him next year at a higher price? My personal opinion is he will do very well on loan whether that is enough to get back into Arsenal will depend a lot on Nwaneri.
What is clear is we never tried to sell him this year so you disagree on that being correct but that is factually what has happened.
I have no idea how Nwaneri is going to progress this year never mind what Vieira is going to do on loan that is subjective and up for debate. What isn’t is that we didn’t try to sell him this window and the loan is a development loan hence no option to buy.
Mate if you think we have done good business on Vieria then good for you
I would suggest in any business if you spend millions on an asset and then two years later are asking the seller to have him back that’s not ideal
If I buy a house off you for millions and I give house back to you in 2 years for 12 months and you only have to pay bills who’s won out of that deal
Again I never said we did good business on Vieira. I said specific things that you keep ignoring. Terrible debate style by the way. Great propaganda style if that’s your jam though.
We are now in a separate argument.
The fact we bought Viera and are now loaning him back is not a net positive that should be obvious and not what I have said anywhere. I’m not pretending Vieira has been a success thus far I’m challenging the specifics of your article.
You haven’t answered anything I raised and as usual, moved the goalpost to a different topic
I do okay mate lol
Which is the answer to what outside a not so humble brag?
To add I never questioned whether you yourself were doing well in life nor attacked you personally. I did direct questions at you personally that you didn’t answer. Topic, moved, again.
Okay lol
(Reply to the Dan bottom comment that i cant reply to for some reason.)
You already have the engagement Dan you don’t need to press for comments more. As for those who actually read the comments I doubt it’s favourable even with any bad rep I quite rightly have. Sarcastic one liners don’t cut it and eventually you’ll find yourself without an audience. Lee gunner made a small bag but where is his future.
Angus, but does Dan have a Datsun like Lee had 😂
😂
I don’t press for comments mate
I generally think that buying someone for 35 million and loaning him back is terrible business
Don’t think that’s outrageous
And it’s not sarcasm, I simply respect others opinions.
You again are presenting an argument that I’ve not disputed whilst ignoring what I did dispute it’s embarrassing, to be honest.
Respect who’s opinions? Your entire modus operandi on any article you write is to ignore others’ opinions and present either a sarcastic or strawman response never addressing what they actually posted. Complete opposite of respecting others’ opinions. Worse you have so little confidence in your opinions you can’t address that head-on.
For those unaware:
“A straw man fallacy (sometimes written as strawman) is the informal fallacy of refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion, while not recognizing or acknowledging the distinction.[1] One who engages in this fallacy is said to be “attacking a straw man”.
The typical straw man argument creates the illusion of having refuted or defeated an opponent’s proposition through the covert replacement of it with a different proposition (i.e., “stand up a straw man”) and the subsequent refutation of that false argument (“knock down a straw man”) instead of the opponent’s proposition.[2][3] Straw man arguments have been used throughout history in polemical debate, particularly regarding highly charged emotional subjects.[4]”
The word you are looking for is sophistry
That’s cute lol
You went and copied and pasted what strawman meant
Got you engaged lol
Interesting conclusion, we bought Saliba for 27 million and loaned him out twice. Was that terrible business also?
Also why did you not know we turned a profit on Tavares?
Because we brought him for 8 million and will get the same back
That’s not good business
If you said when he’s signed
‘ I hope he had three loans and we get our money back ‘ then I’ll forgive you .
Are you now claiming that was a success lol
I never did that. You claimed he was a loss and he wasn’t. Financially it’s a success we made a profit.
On the loans Forest paid 2 mil and Lazio and Marseille have paid around 1 mil each. That is 4 mil. In Lazio’s case this is why you see the fee reported as 7.5 mil in certain quarters because of the 1 mil upfront.
On the reported 8 mil (some have it as 7 mil) that is a 2.5 mil profit on an 8 mil signing. A 31.25% profit. If it was the reported 7 mil then it’s 3.5 mil profit. A 43.75% profit.
Worst case scenario we made 31.25% profit, how is that not a success financially? Especially for a player who flopped for the 1st.
You also still didn’t address the fact you included him in the article implying we were giving up talent for free when he was sold at a profit and added his fee + add-ons that were never met to your 60 misleading mil figure.
That was why I asked why did you not know we turned a profit on Tavares when you are an Arsenal fan and write articles like this? Still not answered btw.
can i ask where you got these figures from? am checking transfermarkt and seeing completely different stuff, just a 1.15 mil fee for the N. Forest loan, nothing on the Marseille loan and a note saying “end of loan fee” for the Lazio loan, indicating that he will be purchased for sure. Is there a reliable website i can check these fees and salaries in general? i often find different numbers quoted and dont know which are the reliable ones.
Mistakes are made in signings and there are also transfers that are almighty successes – Odegaard, Trossard, White to name but 3.
Agree with the remarks made about Sambi and Tavares, which were punts that didn’t work out, but will at least have a decent outcome and will still have a value, so they are not written off entirely.
As for Vieira, he hasn’t as yet fulfilled his talent in our league but the history of football is littered with players who haven’t translated their talent at their new clubs. Fortunately, Vieira didn’t cost £100m (Grealish) £80m (Maguire) and up to £89m for Mudryk. £45m for Kalvin Phillips seems a tad expensive too.
These players have been signed by experienced managers and it is more than reasonable to say that they haven’t been roaring successes on the field (less so Grealish but he was so expensive)
Football is in its own bubble where money at the top level is eye wateringly high. This doesn’t seem to bother the owners too much so it now doesn’t bother me. If Kroenke and other owners accept the situation then that is their business
SueP
Will you stop stealing my thunder please 😍
You got in there just as I was writing
Just to add arany have already said
Mistakes happen. They happened in the past and will continue to happen even when MA has departed and a new person comes in to replace him.
The fees being paid for players are extremely higher then 5, 10 years ago but saying that the income is far higher.
FV is still our player and imo he is technically very good but physically the prem has eaten him alive. Hopefully next season he returns as a beast then we have a dilemma on our hand of sell or keep.
Ps
Football clubs in the prem are not run as normal businesses. Being on the outside looking in we think the world has gone mad.
Being on the inside looking out it seems they think we are mad for questioning there business logic
Onwards and upwards
Hi Allanball08
The world of football versus the man and women in the street are worlds away
As much as I hope Vieira bulks up a bit, it doesn’t look likely. Shame, as he can find the net in spectacular fashion from time to time.
I’d counter this with the fact Vieira has essentially the same build as his compatriots in both Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes and they’ve done fine in the premier league.
Worth noting one of the reasons the Portuguese league is so popular a target for Prem teams is that it’s one of the few that is almost as physically demanding as the prem, it’s no La Liga that way.
Whether he kicks on and shows the quality of the two mentioned remains to be seen but this build talk is a little reductive.
Now that is definitely a major consideration, but of the two others you mentioned, Vieira is the lightest and the shortest. Of course, it is undeniable that there isn’t a lot in it but Fernandes is 3″ taller, but as a character both of those you mentioned have attitude, which doesn’t pop out at you with Vieira
I agree Bernando Silva is the direct comparison if 1″ taller but Fernandes is equally slim despite being 3″ taller. Just felt it was apt given the Portuguese connection.
Not ever arguing Vieira is going to go on to Silva’s heights (those are very high, think he is underrated IMO) but the build argument is just lazy. Can he do it on the pitch is the question thus far no and the answer is more likely no as of now just don’t like the build argument in general. Worth noting Silva was not the weight he is now at Vieira’s age either even with the 1″ height weight.
The attitude thing could be fair although I think Fernandes’ attitude is a net negative for United despite his quality. Did we even see Vieira play enough to judge what attitude he has? I’d suggest that watching Porto this year would give a far clearer picture of that. They finished 3rd last year so lots of work to do for them, he’s not walking into an easy campaign.
I’ve noticed this a long time ago – that so players look to have a small body but still strive
David Silva make study then
It’s about stamina and tenacity and mindset
So people are cockroaches but have a stubborn Giant’s mind
Messi is another example
Viera runs away from anything physical – as if he wants to play with only Girls – he doesn’t have the fight in him
Though Bernardo Silva & David Silva may have is type of frame – those guys have tenacity and stamina that he just doesn’t have
I would also mention our own “little giant” Santi, who was of smallish stature but had the heart of a lion and a winner’s type of mentality.
Santi faced the physicality, and usually dribbled his way out of trouble, or fought with all his might. None of which I see in Vieira.
His slight frame does him no favors, but his play is timid and has the heart of a mouse based on his avoidance and inability to handle any physicality. He simply lacks the mindset Santi had, among so many other things.
I mean acknowledging Viera has not worked out so far what options are their either:
1) Keep him in the squad
2) Loan him
3) Sell him.
The best option was option 2, if they don’t plan to use him then he needs to be playing elsewhere whether for his own development and progression as a footballer or to put him in the shop window where he goes to a place where he’s comfortable hopefully has a good season and sees a rise in his value as a result.
If he stayed and barely played Arsenal would just see his value depreciate more and while yes they couldve sold him, maybe they were still holding out hope for him.
“Imagine being able to sell something for millions then to get that item back for free!”
Arshavin and Wellington Silva, who never played a single minute for The Arsenal, ring any bells ?
Porto have only just loaned out a player to Juventus, and FV is only a loan, so I can’t see how we have given him away. Also, as was pointed out by BB, Porto are paying all of his wages.
“Loan fee will be based on objectives/specific conditions to match during the season. PENALTY clauses if Fabio doesn’t play 50% of all the matches”
So we will be getting probably at least 3 mil probably higher in the loan fee I would have thought as well on top of his wages.
Just seen that Angus 👍
ESR was a bad sell that will come back and haunt Arsenal and edu arteta. Hope there a buy back clause in the deal. Eddie will kick on big time, give him five games and we will all be thinking holy moly what have we done. The only way to make us Arsenal supporter feel better is to sign Victor ohsimen. Please arsenal get him or even better Nicole Williams if we some how got Williams Arsenal will be the best team on the.planet by a long way..get both and ill faint
Osimhen is not as good as people are making him to be
The player has been loaned out to increase his value , when he plays regularly, then sell him.That is the only way to correct this and recoup.
A bit harsh. No general manager will hit for 6 every time. And, development is rarely perfectly linear. Are we disappointed that Vieira has seemingly not worked out…Yes…but let us not forget the human element and players must be treated fairly and respectfully…please let us not use phrases such as ‘deadwood’…teams without class do that.
The article is another one of those where the author fails to see the wood for the trees and also disingenuously conflates the circumstances of different players.
The overall vision is to make Arsenal one of the best teams in the world.
In order to achieve this ideally you would attract or develop the best players in the world. Unless you are already at the top e.g. Real Madrid you are going to be
Iimited in your ability to attract the very best. This means getting talent from elsewhere or progressing players from the youth teams.
However, this is not an exact science so some players will not fit into the team for various reasons. Therefore they have to be moved on or loaned out. There is nothing unusual about this.
The overall quality of the squad has progressively improved over the last few years. Arsenal, have, over the last few years also become one of the most cohesive and effective teams in world football. The team is also generally considered one of the most valuable in world football.
The business model of the club therefore appears to be sound and in line with a vision for Arsenal.
This author has regularly criticised the club, Edu and Arteta for their approach but has yet to provide a compelling alternative.
zdzis, above, has presented a well considered counter to the narrative being peddled but unsurprisingly the points raised are ignored.
Vierra is a total waste of money. Not anywhere good enough.
I don’t think it’s fair to say the players mentioned were “given away” – there was just no demand for them. It’s a transfer market (the second word is the important one really).
If Vieira, for example, plays well away on loan Arsenal can bring him back (where, hopefully, he’ll play well for us – so no loss there). If he has an “ordinary” season, nothing spectacular, then Porto could consider buying him, “old boy” etc. However, it’s unlikely Arsenal would then get their original outlay for him – so a loss there. If Porto aren’t interested then we’ll have to see who, if anyone, is next summer. Worst case – no interest. Then he’s back to Arsenal (along with his wages).
Certainly £35m is a lot of money if you don’t get most of it back when selling but Arsenal has lost as much or more than that on players – and with ESR (and hopefully Eddie) made as much. You win some, you lose some.
Misleading headline, they have not been given away for nothing, yet, they have been loaned out and who’s to say we won’t get a fee for all three? Anyway, regarding Edu not doing a very good job for the club, it’s been reported we are paying for Marino in four instalments over four years which is something like £6.8m a year, seems a decent job done to me.
I suppose every signing carries a fairly significant risk – even with the scouting, it’s never going to be 100%. These days, I can understand a 10m signing not working out (like tavares?). Sadly that sort of money is now “worth a punt” money to clubs like arsenal, but 35m is surely too much even for us.
I think i see why they went for him, i do think there’s a significant talent there and it’s still possible he’ll turn out a very good player (though it’s looking less likely it will be at arsenal now). However, for 35m I do agree we had to be more sure – it’s not his size (smaller players have done far better), nor his talent that’s the problem, it’s his mentality – he doesn’t look fully up for it all the time, and I think we could have done more due diligence there.
You said it better than me
David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Messi are kinda like his frame – but they wanted the fight – he doesn’t
Moaning moaning Dan 😩😭
Thanks for reading and commenting though lol
I mentioned this sometimes ago. Dan’s critique articles at times will be well source, logical and factual. When he wrote such articles it always makes a good read and label him a good author. But, occasionally, he comes up with articles like this that will leave scratching your Head.
Thank you lol
I take the compliment
Can’t understand the long conversation over something that clearly makes sense. Arteta has no place for Viera this season and it’s in the player’s interest to move to a league where he can get a lot of easy game time. For his own professional development it would have been useful for Viera to be loaned out somewhere like Everton, Newcastle or Southampton but their was clearly no interest for him, which says a lot about his future prospects in the EPL.
Agree mate
Such posts always bring to mind my mother-in-law. She has a knack for introducing unfounded and inflammatory topics into conversations, even when everyone else is engaged in a completely different discussion. And her goal always remains to garner all attention towards her, by any means necessary and rather than arguing on the topic, people start talking about her, thus fulfilling her goal.
Saying Vieria at 35 million and then loaning him out is bad business is unfounded and inflammatory?
A bit deep lol
That makes you angry and want to do violent things lol?
Just a game mate lol
So far, I have heard nothing but how good this loan deal is. In fact, even youngsters should be sent for loan under such deal is a general opinion out there. Your take is probably the only one I have seen so far that takes this issue out of proportion in its assessment.
If anything, this loan deal will only help to increase the market value of Viera, if his development there doesn’t pan out. That’s a smart financial decision there. Of course, signings can’t work every time, and I have seen Viera play before at Porto, his talents were undeniable. I think he just needs to boost his confidence, and Porto is good club for him to do just that and start playing and gaining confidence.
Either way, you absolutely blew it out of proportion, and I’m not the only one saying it if you read above. All this post has served is people talking more about you and less about Viera himself. Hence my comment.
I respect your opinion mate