Fábio Vieira is ready for greater Arsenal involvement

Perhaps T-Bag can offer the perfect blend.

His Arsenal career was slow to ignite and minutes have been primarily limited to European competition, but Fábio Vieira is gradually working his way into Mikel Arteta’s plans and seems ready for greater first-team involvement at the business end of the campaign.

The Portuguese star showcased his undoubted quality during a rare start in Manchester last month and later competed well against Everton off the bench, while a fine threaded pass on the break recently allowed Gabriel Martinelli to seal all three points at Villa Park.

Although the sample size is quite small and the contributions admittedly modest, these efforts nevertheless demonstrate Vieira’s increased comfort in the English football climate and suggest his improved on-field influence will only continue to grow.

Should Arsenal give Fábio Vieira more game time in the second half of the campaign? 

Beyond statistical observations, Vieira boasts a unique creative profile that Arsenal should find particularly useful over the coming weeks. The Gunners regularly pin teams back and exert sustained pressure in the final third, but can sometimes come undone due to staunch defensive action which inhibits our forward dynamic – a problem that will become more pronounced as we approach a crucial point in the domestic calendar.

However, the summer arrival may solve this problem as he turns sharply on either side and uses quick feet to penetrate congested midfields, while his link-up play out wide and exceptional half-space delivery could – along with the imminent return of Gabriel Jesus – rekindle our attacking threat from the left wing.

Furthermore, his capacity to fashion chances from deep areas is an astonishing weapon rivalled by few in this division and it may yet prove invaluable on the road to the Premier League title.

Clamour for the 22-year-old to start coincides with both an Arsenal wobble and question marks over Granit Xhaka who, despite many outstanding individual displays throughout the season, is not quite hitting the heights of his pre-World Cup form.

The Swiss international’s impact on the team must not be underestimated and 31 appearances across all competitions show he remains central to Arteta’s project. But he is still not naturally suited to a box-to-box role and – unlike Vieira – greatly lacks in pace and agility, which hinders our offensive potential.

A well-earned rest might therefore benefit Xhaka ahead of the gruelling end-of-year schedule and enable the boss to rotate his squad, providing Vieira with an ideal chance to announce himself at the Emirates.

While the player has acknowledged a difficult start to north London life, he now feels he is “completely adapted” and ready for a bigger part in our exciting journey. How much game time he gets in the next few months remains unclear, but recent progression indicates he could form an important piece of the puzzle.