Bruno Fernandes is one of several Portuguese stars already in the Premier League, and the Manchester United midfielder is backing fellow countryman Fabio Vieira to make an immediate impression at Arsenal.
The Gunners have invested £30 million ($36m) in the 22-year-old in a deal which came out of the blue, with those at Emirates Stadium pushing through a big-money deal early in the summer transfer window.
Fernandes believes value for money will be found in his fellow countryman who he feels boasts bags of potential.
Will Fabio Vieira be a success at Arsenal?
Man Utd playmaker Fernandes told reporters: “I welcome all Portuguese players who go abroad, I hope he can shine to the fullest, except against me.
“Fabio has a lot of quality and has been demonstrating that, whether in the Porto side or in the Under-21s, he has had good numbers and good performances.
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“I hope he succeeds like all the Portuguese out there. We have to start valuing what is ours and I hope that Fabio manages to be as good as possible.”
Why did Arsenal sign Fabio Vieira?
Mikel Arteta and co had one eye on the future when snapping up Vieira, with the midfielder far from being the finished article.
It was however impossible to ignore the numbers that he posted at Porto last season.
Vieira registered seven goals and 16 assists during the 2021-22 campaign, with another fellow countryman – ex-West Ham and Southampton defender Jose Fonte – among those to have talked up his qualities.
The veteran centre-half told talkSPORT: “He’s a very exciting young player who is very talented on the ball and intelligent.
“Arsenal fans should be very excited because he’s the sort of player that they’ll like and I’m looking forward to seeing him in the Premier League.”
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