• Top news

Mikel Arteta confirms new Arsenal signing is fit to make his debut

Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
Getty Images
Advertisement

The Gunners have been handed a welcome boost ahead of their Premier League trip to Bournemouth.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that summer signing Fabio Vieira is fit to make his debut for the club.

The 22-year-old midfielder joined Arteta’s side from FC Porto in a €35 million deal last month, but has spent the early part of his Gunners career recovering from a fracture in his foot.

On Wednesday, however, Vieira started for Arsenal’s Under-21 side in a 2-1 win over the Under-21 Swansea City team, alongside Cedric Soares and Emile Smith Rowe, to hand Arteta a fully fit squad for the first team’s Premier League match away to Bournemouth on Saturday.

“Everybody is okay,” the Arsenal coach said at a press conference on Friday.

“Cedric, Fabio, and Emile played for the Under- 21s. They are okay. They have trained all week, so they are available.”

On what Vieira will bring to his squad, Arteta added: “With Fabio, his versatility is something that caught our eye. We believe he will give us a lot of options.

“Fabio has been training with us just for a week. We need to see where he clicks and where he can make a big impact for the team; we are looking at that.”

Arsenal hope to make it three wins out of three in the Premier League this weekend after beating Crystal Palace and Leicester City in their opening two games of the 2022/23 campaign.

x