Fábio Vieira is thriving in his return to FC Porto, with the Arsenal loanee demonstrating the quality that once made him one of Portugal’s most exciting young talents and prompted Arsenal to spend €35m on him. After a difficult spell in North London, his resurgence has drawn praise from former Porto assistant coach José Gomes, who hailed his intelligence, technical ability, and decisive impact in the final third.
Since the turn of the year, Vieira has been in outstanding form, scoring in three consecutive matches and contributing vital assists in both domestic and European competition. His performances have reignited memories of his breakthrough 2021/22 season, when he registered seven goals and 16 assists, numbers that secured his move to Arsenal. For José Gomes, now managing Al Fateh in Saudi Arabia, Vieira‘s rise was inevitable. Having faced him in his Porto senior debut as Marítimo‘s head coach in June 2020, Gomes immediately recognised his talent.
“We conceded a goal early on [scored by Jesús Corona] and then tried to at least get a draw during the game,” he said. “Fábio coming on allowed Porto to control possession even more, because he is an intelligent player who understands the game and its moments. Even at that young age, he already showed that awareness.”
His intelligence remains his greatest asset. While some midfielders rely on sheer physicality, Vieira operates with an advanced footballing brain, effortlessly reading the game. Gomes underlined this, calling him a player with innate vision and an ability to anticipate movement. “He was born for football,” he said. “He has vision, quick thinking in reading his teammates’ and opponents’ movements, and then there’s his fabulous left foot. He can solve problems with his quality. That’s what intelligent and technically gifted players like him do.”
Under manager Martín Anselmi, Vieira has been deployed both in midfield and further forward, benefitting from a system that maximises his technical ability. His ability to find space, dictate tempo, and execute precise final passes has been key to Porto’s attacking play. While there is no purchase option in his loan deal, his resurgence raises the inevitable question – will Arsenal reintegrate him next season, or will Porto push for a permanent transfer?
Meanwhile, Jamie Carragher has his sights set on a potential tussle between Liverpool and Arsenal for Alexander Isak's signature should the Newcastle United star opt for a summer exit. The Reds icon is of the opinion that the Carabao Cup champions could have the upper hand, especially if they secure a spot in the Champions League. Isak has been a revelation for Eddie Howe's squad this season, netting 19 goals in the Premier League, with only Mohamed Salah (24) and Erling Haaland (20) scoring more.
The Swedish forward's tally stands at 23 across all competitions, which includes a goal against Arne Slot's team in a match on March 16, 2025 at Wembley. With the Magpies perched at sixth in the league, just a point shy of Manchester City and with a game in hand that could see them overtake Pep Guardiola's crew, Champions League football is within reach.
Should they clinch it, Carragher believes Newcastle will be in a strong position to keep hold of Isak come summer, although he anticipates both Arsenal and Liverpool will be monitoring the situation closely. “The only one I think is Isak who the real elite would be looking at,” Carragher expressed on the It’s Called Soccer podcast.
“With Isak, he is so much better than a lot of strikers that Liverpool or Arsenal have got, you know, teams who are competing for the Premier League. So he is the one people would look at. I was just thinking about his situation and I think it makes it easier for them to keep him.
“There’s a feel-good factor, he'll be seeing those scenes at the end of the game: the hugs, the night out after it, lifting silverware. It could easily be a case of [saying] 'let's give this another 12 months.' One hundred percent I think Isak stays if they qualify for the Champions League because I don't think the club would sell him anyway. And they’d just say they are in the Champions League so they wouldn’t need to sell him, money-wise.”
The problem they could have is if they don't make the Champions League, then really it is not about what happened in the cup final. Then it is: Do the club need to sell?
“The only two options would be Arsenal and Liverpool because they are both crying out for a striker. I just look at how long he has left on his deal and I think the ball is in Newcastle's court, it's not really in Isak's. I think once you get [down] to two years [on the contract], it's almost a 50-50, no one wants to get down to 12 months. Newcastle could keep him for another year and say, 'We'll see you then as we're going to get the same sort of money.' I don't think Newcastle gains anything by selling him now unless they had to.
And that is why, if Newcastle gets into the Champions League, there's no way Isak is leaving the club. I think the club will say: 'No, do another 12 months and in a year's time we can make a few quid and you can move on.'
