Following the news that Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira has picked up an injury that will rule him out for weeks, SportsLens take a look at five Arsenal academy players who could replace the Portuguese in the squad.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed the news at a press conference ahead of their Champions League match against Lens.
After experiencing some discomfort, Vieira went to see a specialist, who advised surgery. He is now expected to be out for the remainder of the year, at least.
With Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe already sidelined, Arsenal are light in midfield. It could potentially open the door to an opportunity for an academy player to make the step up to the first team.
Below, we take a look at five potential youth prospects that could fill the void in Vieira’s absence.
Charlie Patino
The first possible solution is a player who has already featured for the first team. In fact, Charlie Patino already has a senior goal for Arsenal, having scored in the 21/22 Carabao Cup against Sunderland.
The 20-year-old is currently on loan at Swansea City, where he is enjoying regular gametime in the Championship. He is developing at a steady rate at the South Wales club, but Arteta may be tempted to cut his loan short and integrate into the first team.
Patino, who has always been very highly rated within Hale End, seems to favour the left side of central midfield. Seeing as that is where Vieira has played most of his minutes, Patino seems like a suitable solution to provide depth in the meantime.
Bradley Ibrahim
Fans might recognise Bradley Ibrahim’s name but perhaps aren’t familiar with him. The 19-year-old is establishing himself for the Arsenal U23s side and has travelled with the senior squad on a couple of matchdays now.
Ibrahim had appeared on the bench for two Europa League fixtures last season and made the squad for the Premier League match against Burnley in November. This could be a sign that Arteta is getting close to giving him a chance in the first team.
He plays deeper than Vieira, usually operating as a holding midfielder tasked with dictating play from deep using his incisive passing. He is astute defensively too, as demonstrated by his comfortability in filling in at centre back on occasion too.
Charles Sagoe Jr.
Having already made his senior debut in the Carabao Cup match against Brentford—a game he started, no less—Charles Sagoe Jr. must be pushing for more first-team opportunities.
Again, Sagoe Jr. wouldn’t be a direct positional replacement for Vieria, seeing as he is a winger. However, we’ve seen recently Leandro Trossard utilised in central areas, which in turn opens the door for another player to provide cover out wide. Sagoe Jr. could be exactly that man.
Sagoe Jr.’s dynamism, unpredictability, and versatility make him a promising prospect. While primarily a right-footed winger, he is fairly comfortable using his left foot and can operate from either flank.
SportsLens have previously taken a more in-depth look at who Charles Sagoe Jr. is.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Arsenal do have able positional replacements for Vieria in their academy, though; one of those is Myles Lewis-Skelly. The 17-year-old is very highly rated within the club and has frequently trained with the first team.
Lewis-Skelly can operate in a few different positions, including holding midfield and even left-back. However, he is most comfortable as a traditional ‘8’, where he has licence to carry the ball into the final third using his powerful dribbling ability.
With Vieira out of the picture for a while, we could see the exciting Lewis-Skelly integrated into the Arsenal senior team fairly soon.
Ethan Nwaneri
Most will recognise Ethan Nwaneri’s name. He is the youngest ever player to feature in the Premier League, making his debut off the bench as a 15-year-old in Arsenal’s 3-0 win at Brentford during the 22/23 season.
Perhaps the Arsenal academy’s most talented prospect, Nwaneri possesses silky footwork and a nice weight of pass, but he also has an eye for goal. So much so that, despite primarily being a central midfielder, the 16-year-old has also operated as a striker. He has also played multiple times out wide and as a number 10. This versatility could set him apart from the rest in terms of breaking into the first team.
Chelsea and Manchester City both explored signing the exciting midfielder last summer, but Nwaneri decided to remain with Arsenal, despite being offered more money elsewhere. There may be a clearer pathway for Nwaneri in North London, one that is perhaps already planned.
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