Fabio Vieira says he really admires 24-year-old Arsenal teammate

By Shamanth Jayaram

Arsenal star Fabio Vieira thinks he can play in the same team as Martin Odegaard, a player he really admires.

The Gunners signed the 22-year-old last summer even though they already had Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe available in his position. Mikel Arteta saw something in him that he really liked, and we can all see his quality now.

Vieira was asked about Odegaard yesterday, and here’s what he said.

Fabio Vieira says he really admires Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard

Odegaard is one of the best players in the Premier League.

The Arsenal captain has really stepped up this season, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists in 27 Premier League games. He’s one of the biggest reasons why the Gunners are on top of the league table, and he’s among the first names on Arteta’s team sheet every week.

That, more often than not, leaves Vieira on the bench. The Portuguese midfielder is similar to Odegaard in ways, and Arteta has mostly used one or the other in his side.

However, Vieira feels he and the 24-year-old Norwegian can play in the same team.

He said in his press conference yesterday, as relayed on HaytersTV: “We can play in the same team. I think we’re very similar, we’re both left-footed and we have a lot of qualities.

“I admire him a lot. We can help and we can learn from each other.”

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Odegaard and Vieira can definitely play in the same team thanks to the Porto old-boy’s versatility.

The 22-year-old, like the Norwegian, is naturally a number 10, but he can play as a box-to-box midfielder, on the right wing and also as a false nine when required.

He really is a fantastic player, and once he fully adapts to the physical demands of the Premier League, we think he’ll take Granit Xhaka’s place in the Arsenal side.

The Gunners take on Sporting Lisbon tonight and Vieira is expected to start. It will be interesting to see if Odegaard will get the nod with him.