Edu on new signing Fabio Vieira – ‘ He has something very special’

The worst kept secret was finally revealed as Arsenal announced the signing of Fabio Vieira from FC Porto, with technical director Edu stating that not many players in the squad possess his qualities.

Signed, sealed, and delivered. Fabio Vieira is officially an Arsenal player and the first domino to fall in what many hope will be a sign of things to come over the next couple of weeks. The 22-year-old completed his £35m move to the Gunners, signing a five-year deal.

With so much attacking quality in the squad already, the addition of Vieira will likely spur on the rest of the Gunners squad this upcoming season. Technical Director Edu had glowing words to say about the playmaker in an interview with the club and stated that not many players in the Arsenal squad possess the Portuguese’s quality.

"“Fabio is the one which probably we don’t any have anyone in the squad with his characteristics,” Edu said.“Maybe Martin Odegaard has his qualities, Smith Rowe probably has the same quality, but he has something very special because he likes to play very close to the final third. He likes to play in the pocket.“He feels comfortable in that position because, as I said before to Mikel, it’s very difficult to find a player like him because the way he plays and the way he feels comfortable on the field. So, it is a very difficult, very challenging position. So, I think we will enjoy a lot to seeing Fabio play for us.”"

The move is hoped to be followed by several more. The club is still in talks with Manchester City over the signing of Gabriel Jesus, while Leeds winger Raphinha has emerged as a genuine target for the Gunners. So much so that the club submitted a formal offer per David Ornstein of The Athletic.

After a rather slow start to the summer transfer window, the Gunners have signed Marquinhos and Fabio Vieira all while extending the contracts of Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah. It is a signal of intent for the club as they look to improve on last season’s fifth-place finish.

Arsenal were in pole position to secure a Champions League sport but faltered down the stretch to ultimately miss out.

The signing of Vieira is a good start for the club, and many hope that more deals follow in the coming days and weeks.