Mikel Arteta could move £34m Arsenal player further forward after signing Kai Havertz

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could play Portuguese midfielder Fabio Vieira further forward next season.

A report from the Daily Mail has outlined Arteta’s plans for the 23-year-old ahead of pre-season.

There were high expectations last summer when Arsenal signed Fabio Vieira for £34m from FC Porto.

He had been brilliant during his final season in Portugal, scoring six goals and providing 11 assists.

Vieira was also the standout player for Portugal’s under-21 side throughout their qualifying campaign for this summer’s European Championships.

However, Mikel Arteta mainly used Vieira as a substitute during his first season with Arsenal.

He made 22 league appearances, however, all but three of them were from the bench.

There have even been reports this summer that he could be sold only a year after signing.

However, Arteta looks set to play Vieira further forward next season to give him a chance to fulfil his potential.

He may be forced into that move by the arrival of Chelsea star Kai Havertz.

Arteta set to play Vieira further forward

The report from the Daily Mail states that, ‘Fabio Vieira would still physically struggle in the cut and thrust of a top-flight engine room and can expect to be used further forward, perhaps alongside Emile Smith Rowe, who is returning to full fitness after an injury-disrupted season.’

If Arteta sticks with the same tactics as last season then there are still a few roles that Vieira could fill.

The most obvious position for him would be in the number ten role, competing for minutes with Martin Odegaard.

Arteta regularly substituted the 24-year-old last season which could offer Vieira a chance in a more attacking position.

At Porto, if he wasn’t playing centrally, he tended to start on the right wing and drift inside onto his preferred left foot.

Bukayo Saka barely got a rest last season and Vieira could provide a useful alternative to the England international who prefers to hug the touchline.

Arteta will know that he needs to find a way to get the best out of Vieira after the investment Arsenal made in him last summer, and giving him a chance further forward could work.

It feels like a make-or-break season for the 23-year-old in his Arsenal career.