Arteta confirms Arsenal loaned player to give teenager a chance

Fabio Vieira made his 14th appearance of the 2024/25 campaign at the weekend, with Mikel Arteta confirming that his loan was partly to allow Ethan Nwaneri to feature more often.

Arsenal loanee Fabio Vieira made the starting lineup for FC Porto away to Famalicao on Saturday, his 14th appearance of the season in all competitions and his fifth consecutive league start.

Vieira had scored in both of his two previous appearances prior to the weekend. He didn’t make it three goals in three against Famalicao, but it was another positive performance, particularly on the physical side.

Arsenal fans have often questioned whether Vieira’s physicality is enough to justify his inclusion in a Premier League squad, with few taking any issue with the player’s technical abilities.

But at the weekend at least, Vieira won four tackles without being dribbled past once, won seven of his 11 ground duels and made two interceptions.

In general, the 24-year-old’s loan seems to be going very well, and not just for Vieira himself.

Mikel Arteta admitted last week that the loan was also an attempt to get Ethan Nwaneri more senior minutes with the Gunners.

“We allowed Fabio [Vieira] to go as well because we wanted to create the room and the space for Ethan [Nwaneri],” Arteta said. “He has given us every reason to trust him. He’s shown that he’s ready to make the next step and it’s great to have him.”

Nwaneri made one injury-time appearance for Arsenal’s senior side in 2022/23, played 13 minutes in 2023/24, but he’s already racked up 266 minutes over 12 appearances this season so far. If Vieira had stuck around, it’s unlikely that would be the case.

For the time being, the loan seems to be working for everyone. As long as Vieira and Nwaneri continue to get minutes, that’s likely to continue to be the case.