Porto midfielder Fabio Vieira is approaching his move to Arsenal. football.london understand.
The Portuguese under-21 international enjoyed an excellent 2021/22 campaign, scoring seven goals and providing 16 more assists in all competitions, leading to a summer transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Liverpool. However, it is the Spurs’ local rivals who have agreed an initial £ 30million quota with Porto, with an additional £ 4million potential.
Vieira can act in a number of roles, playing as a No. 8 forward in a 4-3-3 setup, a traditional No. 10 and even on the sidelines as a wide game creator. The 22-year-old will bring much-needed depth to Mikel Arteta’s team, who have no options in the middle of the park, which cost them the top four in last season’s race.
READ MORE: Who is Fabio Vieira? The £ 34m star “flies to London” to accept Arsenal transfer
But what shirt would Vieira wear if he completed his summer transfer to Emirates Stadium? football.london take a look at what numbers are currently available in north London.
Vieira has been wearing the number 50 shirt since he joined Porto’s first team, a shirt currently occupied by Arsenal. He also wore 23 for the Portuguese under-21 team, a number that Albert Sambi Lokonga currently wears for the Gunners.
The departure of Alexandre Lacazette means that the new number is available, although it will probably go to whoever the technical director Edu has decided to introduce it in advance, while 12 and 14 remain free after the departures of Willian and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang respectively.
Numbers currently available at Arsenal (up to 30): 9, 12, 14, 21, 27, 28, 29
The Gunners are also expected to unload a number of first-team players this summer, releasing additional kit numbers for any entry. Hector Bellerin, Alex Runarsson, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Pablo Mari, Reiss Nelson, Lucas Torreira and Folarin Balogun spent some time away from the club last season on loan, with some of them now expected to leave for good this summer. which would mean their t-shirt numbers would be available.
Second-tier goalkeeper Bernd Leno and club signing Nicolas Pepe battled for game time last season, with Unai Emery’s two signings also closely linked to a summer away from Arsenal.
Numbers that may be available with probable transfers and / or loans: 1 (Leno), 2 (Bellerin), 11 (Torreira), 13 (Runarsson), 15 (Maitland-Niles), 19 (Pepe), 22 (Mari), 24 (Nelson), 26 (Balogun).
Arsenal fans: What a great signing Fabio Vieira would be and improve Mikel Arteta’s midfield? Leave your thoughts below in the comments section below!
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