Struggling Arsenal star eyes January loan despite Arteta's "more mature" claim

21 November 2023 , 09:39

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Struggling Arsenal star eyes January loan despite Arteta's "more mature" claim

Arsenal's Fabio Vieira seemed to have turned a corner at the start of the season, but is now the subject of reported loan interest from Marseille.

The former Porto star signed for the Gunners in the summer of 2022 for a fee of £35million and endured a difficult debut campaign in north London. While there were flashes of brilliance, such as his long-range screamer away at Brentford, Vieira struggled to get a consistent run of games under his belt given club captain Martin Odegaard is above him in the pecking order.

In the opening exchanges of this term, it looked like Vieira was ready to kick on and prove why Arteta was so keen on landing his signature.

Following an impressive cameo appearance off the bench during the 3-1 win over Manchester United in September, the Arsenal boss made clear he thought the 23-year-old had turned the tide on his Gunners career.

"Something has changed with Fabio, you notice with the crowd when he steps in he is different to how he was last year," Arteta explained. "He’s more mature, he’s more senior in the squad and his confidence in the squad is high so I’m really happy to have those options."

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The consensus was the same among the fans, who were hopeful Vieira would kick on and offer the Gunners something different as an attacking midfielder. Instead, he is now the subject of speculation over a loan move in January after failing to build on the early-season momentum.

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Fabio Vieira is still struggling to kickstart his Arsenal career more than a season in (Getty Images)

Vieira has started just two Premier League games so far this campaign. Arsenal's run of fixtures against Brentford, Wolves and Luton after the international break presented him with a chance of some valuable minutes, but the playmaker will now miss all three through suspension.

Vieira got himself sent off for a late challenge just 20 minutes after coming on against Burnley with Arteta conceding the challenge was worthy of a red card after the game. He'll serve his three-game suspension, by which time Odegaard is likely to have regained full fitness and cemented his return as a starter.

While Marseille's interest is believed to be in its early stages, Vieira could be tempted by the move given it would present a higher chance of regular football. He has failed to complete 90 minutes in the league so far this term and has only played more than a half once.

Josh O'Brien