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Former Premier League winner Joe Cole was impressed by Fabio Vieira in Arsenal’s Europa League win over Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.
THE LOWDOWN: VIEIRA GETTING NOTICED
The 22-year-old, who joined Arsenal in the summer, has been able to impress fans and pundits alike whenever he has featured for Mikel Arteta’s side so far.
He caught the eye in his first Premier League start when Arsenal won at Brentford last month, being drafted in after skipper Martin Odegaard was injured, and he impressed on the day with a goal in a 3-0 win.
Fast forward to Thursday’s performance and his first goal at the Emirates Stadium in another convincing victory, which left one pundit impressed by his efforts on the night.
THE LATEST: COLE IMPRESSED BY VIEIRA
Cole, who won the Premier League three times with Chelsea, was impressed with Vieira’s performance in the comfortable 3-0 win over Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night.
The ex-England winger covered the match as a pundit for BT Sport and was dazzled by the 22-year-old’s performance in an attacking midfield role.
Cole said of Vieira on BT Sport after the game, as shared by Metro: “Everything he does, he’s one of those technicians where everything is with purpose. He’s one of them, an absolute velvet left foot, this kid can do anything. He’s got the competition in Martin Odegaard, one of the club captains, part of the leadership group, but this guy is a fantastic player.”
Arsenal legend Martin Keown also went on to add: “I thought tonight he’s started to show some really nice touches. I know Odegaard is the club captain now, he [Arteta] has left them on the pitch together, so there’s quite a battle there to see which one is going to come through.
“They’ve spent quite a bit of money on him. This is where the Europa League is absolutely perfect for the next player and the next level that’s going to nurture and bring through.”
THE VERDICT: SOLID DISPLAY
It was a composed and excellent performance from the Portuguese attacking midfielder. He missed a good chance early in the game but was on hand to make amends later by providing a wonderful assist for Rob Holding’s goal.
Vieira then scored himself after Gabriel Jesus’ outrageous move late in the match. The former Porto man will likely come good in plenty of games for the Gunners this term and it is good to see him settle in quickly.
