MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 14:21:57| >> :60:3585:3585:

Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe lavishes praise on "unbelievable" Fabio Vieira

Emile Smith Rowe lavishes praise on
© Reuters
Arsenal attacker Emile Smith Rowe hails the Gunners' "unbelievable" new signing Fabio Vieira and "cannot speak highly enough" of the 22-year-old playmaker.

Arsenal attacker Emile Smith Rowe has affirmed that Gunners fans have every right to be excited about the signing of "unbelievable" playmaker Fabio Vieira.

The 22-year-old was initially tipped to head for either Liverpool or Manchester United before Mikel Arteta's side rapidly wrapped up a deal with Porto.

Vieira has arrived at the Emirates Stadium on a five-year deal for a reported fee of £34.2m after scoring six goals and setting up 14 more in 27 Primeira Liga appearances for Porto last season.

Vieira has also racked up 13 goals and four assists from 21 appearances for Portugal's Under-21s and faced off against Smith Rowe in last year's Under-21 Euros, with Portugal winning 2-0 in the group stage.

The former Porto man has earned early comparisons with Manchester City's Bernardo Silva, and Smith Rowe can also see the similarities between the pair after welcoming his counterpart to the Emirates.

Emile Smith Rowe in action for Arsenal on February 19, 2022© Reuters

"He's very similar [to Silva]. He's a very good passer of the ball, his left foot is very good and he likes to create goals and score them himself," Smith Rowe told the Evening Standard.

"I've already played against him at international level, so I can't speak highly enough of him, and the fans should be really excited. At the Euro Under-21s, they [Portugal] beat us 2-0 and he was unbelievable in that game."

The Portugal Under-21 international is yet to make his debut for the club, though, with a foot injury preventing him from turning out against Nuremberg or Everton.

However, in a separate interview with The Athletic, the 22-year-old affirmed that the issue is only a minor one and he expects to be training with the squad within the next couple of days.

"It's a small injury I got with the national team one month ago. Now I feel really good," Vieira explained. "I'm not training 100% yet, but I'm running. Day after day, I'm improving. And in a few days, I'll be back in full training with my team-mates."

Fabio Vieira warms up for Porto on October 21, 2020© Reuters

During his time at Porto, Vieira demonstrated his versatility in a wide number of positions, featuring in the heart of the midfield, out wide, as a second striker or as a number 10 under Sergio Conceicao.

The Portuguese starlet has affirmed that he is willing to play anywhere for the Gunners, but he is hoping to battle Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard for the number 10 spot over the next year.

"The manager told me he knows I can play as a midfielder — No 8, No 10 — or on the wing, left side or right side. They know I am a versatile player. I prefer No 10. It's my real position," Vieira added.

Vieira will push to make his Arsenal debut in Wednesday's friendly with Orlando City after missing the weekend's 2-0 win over Everton alongside Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Kieran Tierney and Smith Rowe.

The Gunners will then meet Chelsea in the Florida Cup before returning to London to face Sevilla in the Emirates Cup on July 30.

ID:490385:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5621:

Click here for more stories about Emile Smith Rowe

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Ukraine's Oleksandr Zinchenko celebrates after the match on June 1, 2022
Read Next:
Two ways Arsenal could line up with Oleksandr Zinchenko
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!