Arsenal have announced the transfer of playmaker Fabio Vieira from the Portuguese side FC Porto. Moreover, Vieira is the Gunners’ second signing of the summer after Brazilian teenager Marquinhos arrived from Sau Paulo. However, Arsenal’s move for Vieira came out of the blue for every fan. The 22-year-old midfielder has joined Arsenal after manager Mikel Arteta made it clear that he wants to add more depth to the team. As a result, Arsenal acquired Fabio Vieira whose versatility allows him to operate as a left-winger, number-8, and a second striker.
However, a former presidential candidate of Porto Nuno Lobo has expressed displeasure over the club’s transfer strategy. Lobo has slammed the club for selling its prized assets for mere transfer fees. Arsenal have agreed on a package of £34 million for Vieira, which include £30 million guaranteed and add-ons worth £4 million. Lobo is disappointed with Porto getting only so much from Arsenal for Vieira. Multiple reports also claim that Porto’s £34 million deal for Vieira is less than his release clause of £43 million, further enraging Nuno Lobo.
Nuno goes berserk against Porto for business with Arsenal
Fabio Vieira played a crucial role in Porto winning the domestic double last season, further attracting interest from Arsenal. The attacking midfielder provided an impressive 14 assists and scored 6 goals in 27 league appearances. Arsenal quickly established contacts with the player and his representatives for a move and negotiated a £34 million deal.
Nuno Lobo has now launched an attack on Porto’s current board for letting their talent go for cheap. Lobo said,
“He (Fabio Vieira) is one of the best players at FC Porto and leaving for this fee is a bad deal. We are talking about one of the gems of FC Porto, one of the players who came from our academy. The DNA of FC Porto. We lost him. It’s another piece of business that I don’t understand. We are talking about ridiculous values for players who represent and ‘are’ FC Porto. They are from our academy and we are letting them go for unbelievable fees.”
While Lobo claims that Arsenal have ‘underpaid’ Porto for Vieira, the former presidential candidate may have a point. Fernando Rio, another ex-presidential candidate accused the club of not demanding the release clause which Vieira had in his Porto contract. Rio said that the attacking midfielder had a release clause of £43 million which Arsenal have not paid. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed the same writing,
“They (Arsenal) will not activate the release clause for €50m (£46 million) but decided to negotiate with Porto.”
Nuno Lobo may also be pointing towards Porto’s transfer business with Liverpool. The Portuguese champions sold Luis Diaz mid-season to the Reds for a mere £40 million, with add-ons. Nonetheless, Arsenal have now announced Fabio Vieira’s arrival from Porto. The midfielder will now join Mikel Arteta and co. for the pre-season. Meanwhile, Arsenal will continue to chase their other targets in Gabriel Jesus and Youri Tielemans.
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