Arteta’s worst signing must never play for Arsenal again

As far as pre-seasons go, that was certainly not perfect for Arsenal.

Heading into the Community Shield at the Millenium Stadium on Sunday, they will do so buoyed by the arrival of Bruno Guimaraes but deep down, they will know they are relatively underprepared as they get ready to face Manchester City.

Indeed, in four friendly matches, the Gunners won just once. Sure, performances don’t matter too much but it will have concerned Mikel Arteta somewhat that they were not able to put in some more encouraging displays.

Still, they lost back-to-back games with Tottenham and Villarreal in pre-season a year ago and went on to have their best season in 22 years.

The biggest winners from Arsenal’s draw with Como

Arsenal came into this game with a renewed sense of purpose. This was a week in which some of their big hitters returned to the matchday squad.

Making his debut, Bruno Guimaraes made the matchday squad alongside some returnees including Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, David Raya and Mikel Merino. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice have also returned to training but this game came too soon for the England pair.

As a result, it was another opportunity for the likes of Max Dowman, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly to stake their claims. It is safe to say that the latter certainly made his point.

Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

This has been an interesting week for Lewis-Skelly. Reports surfaced suggesting that he had been offered to Chelsea and Manchester United but he is more than happy at the Emirates Stadium. His performance on Wednesday evening showcased that.

The teenager scored Arsenal’s goal on the night and celebrated by making a heart towards the crowd. He isn’t going anywhere.

Elsewhere, it was a fine night for another Hale Ender in the form of Marli Salmon. Aged just 16, the centre-back belied his years in defence alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.

While Salmon is unlikely to act as cover for William Saliba while the Frenchman is on the treatment table, his display was timely given links to Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa.

Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

Perhaps the youngster’s performance will make Arteta second guess his transfer plans. He completed 98% of his passes and won nine of his 13 defensive duels.

While it was a brilliant night for the two teenage sensations, it was not a good evening for every player in red and white.

The biggest loser from Arsenal vs Como

Without the likes of Saka, Rice, Merino, Saliba and Co in pre-season, it has given a number of Arsenal’s fringe players to make an impression.

Some, like Salmon, have taken their chance. The aforementioned Dowman, who scored against Girona and Nwaneri, who netted versus Dortmund, have made their points to the manager too.

However, a player cut from a similar cloth positionally, Fabio Vieira, has really struggled.

In all honesty, it has been bizarre to see the Portuguese earn so many minutes in pre-season. He has featured in every game despite rarely being seen at Arsenal in recent years.

Signed for a £34m fee from Porto back in 2022, we will always have his wonderful goal against Brentford to remember but he has done very little to warrant the transfer fee outside of that.

Last term, Vieira spent the campaign on loan at Hamburg in Germany and was actually heralded as “one of the signings of the Bundesliga season” by reporter Josh Bunting.

On that evidence, he should have been able to find himself a new club sooner this summer. The fact is he has not, and as a result, has played a big part in Arteta’s pre-season prep.

While he has not totally disgraced himself, his performance against Como raised more questions than answers. Vieira replaced Eze in the 32nd minute and was then withdrawn in the 62nd minute having not made any impression.

During his half an hour on the pitch, the 26-year-old had just 12 touches of the ball and only completed five passes. Vieira registered a solitary key pass and missed a big chance too.

Truthfully, the Portuguese was always going to struggle to get back into the good books of Arteta. His performances in pre-season, particularly on Wednesday, have showcased why he should never play for Arsenal again. This should have been his final outing for the Londoners.

At £34m, the world was not necessarily expected from Vieira but he surely has to go down as one of the manager’s worst signings since heading back to Arsenal.

In that time, Arteta has acquired the likes of Madueke, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Pablo Mari, Cedric and Willian. As far as value for money goes, Vieira is the worst of the lot. Why he has played so often in recent weeks is rather perplexing.