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FC Porto boss Martin Anselmi has expressed his delight with Arsenal loanee Fabio Vieira’s tactical intelligence and his professionalism on and off the pitch.
The north London giants signed Vieira for a substantial €35m back in 2022 from Porto to slowly integrate him into the side to make him an important player for the future.
However, things did not go according to plan due to Vieira picking up niggling injuries, combined with heavy competition in the squad.
Last summer, Arsenal loaned him out to Porto for the rest of the season to get the best out of him and he has been played in different positions at the Portuguese giants.
Vieira currently has two league goals with three assists and he has been deployed as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, right winger and even a defensive midfielder.
Anselmi is impressed with Vieira’s professionalism and the Porto boss hailed the Gunners loanee as a tactically intelligent footballer.
“I’m very happy that Fabio scored and enjoyed the game”, the Porto boss told a press conference after Vieira scored against Vitoria Guimares on Monday night in a 1-1 draw.
| Team | Games | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Sporting Lisbon | 23 | 53 |
| Benfica | 23 | 53 |
| FC Porto | 23 | 47 |
| Braga | 23 | 47 |
“He’s a very important player for us, who knows what it’s like to represent this shirt; takes the lead and gives us a lot of tactical and technical intelligence.
“He’s playing in a new position for him, but he always gives his all.
“We’ve been talking to him and I consider him a very important person for the group on the pitch, and off the pitch, he’s very serious and professional.”
Amid Vieira being away from the Emirates Stadium at Porto, Arsenal have been hit with injuries to key players and have a lack of attacking options, something which is hurting their Premier League title charge.
Mikel Arteta will have a decision to make on Vieira when he returns from his loan spell in the summer.
