Fabio Vieira exit explained as Arsenal selection decision emerges amid Martin Odegaard injury
Naturally whenever there is a serious injury the inquests which follow turn to look at the squad. Martin Odegaard’s ankle issue suffered with Norway has sparked a similar discussion with many pointing the fingers at the club for not having a readymade backup there to come in for the club captain.
Arsenal signed the most players of the three Premier League title challengers including a central midfielder with attacking talents but Mikel Merino suffered a shoulder injury in his first training session with the side which has since ruled him out. The biggest gripe for some appears to be the decision however to loan out Fabio Vieira.
It was revealed that after a minor injury issue of his own which meant he missed the start of the season, the club were happy for Vieira to re-join his former side FC Porto to gain some valuable and more regular minutes. There were incentives included in the deal to encourage play time for Vieira which will have him in, what is hoped to be, a much better standing next summer for the market.
Vieira has been at the club since 2022 and failed to break into the starting eleven on a regular basis, offering some depth and minimal return in terms of goal contributions. The majority of critics have labelled him as the most expensive miss of Edu Gaspar’s tenure at the club and yet here we are with retrospective points of view now claiming he should have been kept.
The reality is that with a talent like Ethan Nwaneri coming through and looking exceptional, any minutes that Vieira might have got this season were always more favourable to give to the 17-year-old. At the time though a big injury to Odegaard at a crucial time was not something being thought about.
Especially when Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard can both offer cover there along with the aforementioned Merino. The idea that Arsenal should have signed a backup to Odegaard in the summer is very easy to say but in practice very difficult.
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The best players at the best clubs play almost every game. Julian Alvarez has left near-guaranteed trophies at Manchester City because Erling Haaland does exactly that.
Finding a reasonable backup to Rodri has been incredibly hard to the point where several years after his arrival Pep Guardiola still has not successfully done so. A player who comes in to play second fiddle to either Odegaard or Bukayo Saka or William Saliba or David Raya knows that they’re going to be on the bench and waiting for chances in cup competitions or when injuries come around.
Most simply are not willing to do that. Look at Benjamin Sesko who opted to stay with RB Leipzig despite interest from top clubs because he prioritised an early resolution in the summer and couldn’t find the opportunities and guarantees he wanted at that stage of the window.
Another point to add is that last season Odegaard was unable to play in four matches against Sheffield United, Newcastle, Burnley and Sevilla. In none of these matches did Vieira start, he was a substitute for all four – Emile Smith Rowe, who has effectively been replaced by Merino, started in just one.
It is one thing suggesting options like a game of Career Mode or Football Manager but squad building in the real world isn’t a video game. Arsenal will now look to deal with Odegaard’s absence using the versatile depth they have built up.