Foot & Soccer Soccer Match Reports, Football News
As is tradition, I will use the final column before the start of the season to look at three players for whom the upcoming campaign represents something of a crossroads. It’s going to be a big 2024-25 for…
Fabio Vieira
The sale of Emile Smith Rowe, in my view, puts plenty of extra pressure on Fabio Vieira to deliver in his third season at the club. Even if his salary is likely modest compared to his teammates, he came with a transfer fee in excess of £30m, he is not in the Lokonga and Tavares ‘worth a punt’ category of prospect signings.
Arsenal fans liked Emile Smith Rowe a lot and, rightly or wrongly, Vieira’s performances will now be viewed in that light. I don’t consider that to be a problem, if you want to succeed at a club like Arsenal you have to deliver under pressure and if Vieira doesn’t do that this season, he will likely be moved on in any case. The pressure is already on regardless of that context.
The upside for Vieira is that the ‘left eight’ area of the team is surely the one that presents the most opportunity. Smith Rowe has been removed as a competitor for the role and Havertz will clearly be used upfront on plenty of occasions. It is one of the least crowded areas of the squad and at the age of 24, Vieira is not a callow youth- especially in this team.
Vieira is also a very different profile to the other midfielders in the squad and if Arteta wants to build further unpredictability, at the very least, the Portuguese should become an option in midfield. Against relegation threatened opponents last season, Arteta tended towards a more creative option in midfield.
Vieira started away at Everton in September, Smith Rowe started at Nottingham Forest and at home to Luton. There are also two further Champions League group games this season and, potentially, a couple of extra knockout games too so rotation is going to have to become even more commonplace. And ultimately, if Vieira doesn’t deliver, Ethan Nwaneri is coming up on…
Source link : https://arseblog.com/2024/08/its-going-to-be-a-big-2024-25-for/
Author : Tim Stillman
Publish date : 2024-08-15 12:00:15
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