Arsenal have been mostly unbeaten this season, but their unbeaten streak finally came to an end on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side have once again escaped the clutches of Unai Emery’s Aston Villa and currently sit at the top of the Premier League, two points behind leaders Manchester City.
It wasn’t a horrible game between the league leaders, but it was a disappointing and potentially worrying game.
What’s more, this was also a game in which a certain player was fooled by flattery, a player who could be Arteta’s worst addition since Fabio Vieira.
What went wrong with Fabio Vieira at Arsenal?
Many Arsenal fans remember well the summer of 2022, when Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko arrived from Manchester City and helped the team win their first title in a generation.
However, that summer the club signed Vieira from Porto for around £34m, a surprise but also exciting move.
After all, the Portuguese midfielder had just finished a season in which he scored 23 goals in 39 games.
Unfortunately, apart from the odd flash of brilliance, the Santa María da Feira-born talent didn’t make much of an impact in his first season in North London, registering just two goals and six assists in 33 first-team appearances.
Things only got worse the following season, as a combination of injuries, poor form and suspensions limited him to just 16 appearances, with one goal and four assists.
After two disappointing seasons in recent years, the 25-year-old was loaned back to Porto for the 24/25 season, where he showed gradual improvement and finished the season with 11 goals in 42 games.
The Portuguese giants were left with few other options as they did not want the player to return on a permanent contract this year, but the Gunners agreed to send him on loan to Hamburg again with an option to buy.
Vieira’s Arsenal record | ||
|---|---|---|
season | 22/23 | 23/24 |
Appearance | 33 | 16 |
the goal | 2 | 1 |
assist | 6 | 3 |
Number of goals involved per match | 0.24 | 0.25 |
All stats via Transfermarkt | ||
Overall, it is clear that Vieira is a talented player, but it is equally clear that he is not, and never has been, worthy of playing for Arsenal.
Worryingly, the same may eventually be said of Arteta’s other contracted player. If he doesn’t improve quickly, he could end up being the worst player since the Portuguese midfielder.
Arsenal star could be Arteta’s worst addition since Vieira
Overall, Arsenal’s summer business this year can be described as a success.
For example, Ewerki Eze, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke all look good or great so far.
But there is one player who is more divisive than most and who is at risk of being labeled a failure if he doesn’t improve. That’s Victor Gokeres.
Now, before the pitchforks and torches come out, there’s a good chance the Sweden international proves his doubters wrong and becomes the scoring monster Arsenal want from him.
Unfortunately, there’s been little sign of that so far this season.
For example, the former Sporting forward, described by analyst Ben Mattinson as a “powerhouse”, has scored just six goals in 17 appearances so far, which is not terrible, but not enough for a player who wants to be at the forefront of a title-winning team.
Gokeres vs Villa | |
|---|---|
minutes | 50 minutes |
shot | 0 |
Expected assist | 0.03 |
key pass | 0 |
touch | 11 |
Loss of belongings | 6 |
path | 4 |
Cross (accurate) | 1 (0) |
All stats by Sofascore | |
Furthermore, Saturday’s game against Villa was another one in which he was unable to confirm his authority.
The 27-year-old came on at half-time, but in 50 minutes he had just 11 touches, lost the ball six times, completed four passes, failed to take a shot and failed to create a single big chance.
It was a worrying result, and one that could easily see the likes of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus leapfrogging him in the top spots once they are fully fit.
After all, while he has time to make his mark in this team, Gokeres has underperformed for Arsenal so far this year and is in danger of becoming Arteta’s worst permanent signing since Vieira.
