OFFICIAL: Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira seals Porto transfer

Tom Weber

• Updated: 27 Aug 2024 13:50 BST
• 3 min read

Breaking

Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira has officially returned to Porto.

The Gunners midfielder has re-joined his former club on loan after failing to win himself a regular place in Mikel Arteta's side. With the signing of Mikel Merino only a matter of time, there was an acceptance that the Portuguese would find consistent minutes even harder to come by.

As a result, Arsenal made the decision to allow the 24-year-old to leave the club temporarily. FootballTransfers previously revealed that Mikel Arteta has no intention to sanction a permanent exit and Porto do not have the option of making Vieira's return a long-term thing.

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According to Fabrizio Romano, Porto will cover Vieira's salary, while they will also have to pay a loan fee. The figures have not been disclosed because they will depend on performance-related criteria over the course of the season.

Additionally, the Italian transfer expert states that there are 'penalty clauses' should Porto fail to utilise the midfielder in at least 50 per cent of their matches.

Vieira returns to Porto

Viera is now back at his old stomping ground. The 24-year-old was signed by Arsenal from the Portuguese giants in 2022 for a sizeable €35 million, but his time at the Emirates has not gone to plan.

Not a guaranteed starter, Vieira missed a large chunk of the previous season due to the need for groin surgery, which sidelined him for a lengthy period of time.

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To date, the midfielder has made 49 appearances for Arsenal, scoring three goals and providing nine assists. Despite having featured 33 times in the Premier League, Vieira has so far only tallied 793 minutes, mostly appearing as a substitute.

The Portuguese will hope that he can reinvigorate his career at Porto after a difficult couple of years in England.