Arsenal star could make shock January exit – paving way for superstar replacement: report

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on the pitch before the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between West Ham United and Arsenal at London Stadium on November 1, 2023 in London, England.
(Image credit: Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could be about to sanction a shock exit from his squad, as he prepares to improve his side this January.

The Gunners have had a mixed first 12 games of the season, with results largely going Arsenal's way despite performances ranging in fluidity. The attack has failed to gel so far despite the improvement in defence, with some pointing to a new forward being the answer to bringing the North Londoners' back to their best.

But despite Arteta potentially bringing in new blood in January, there could be significant departures to rebalance the squad. 

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 08: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on October 08, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Arsenal could improve their attack this winter (Image credit: Getty Images)

Italian transfer oracle Fabrizio Romano has told CaughtOffside that Portuguese playmaker Fabio Vieira could well be sent on loan, having struggled to settle at the Emirates Stadium following his 2022 move.

Vieira has been eased into life in the Premier League, playing backup to Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard before getting a chance to start at the beginning of this season. But opportunities have dried up with Kai Havertz ahead of him in the pecking order – and Vieira was sent off and subsequently banned for three matches in his last appearance in the Premier League, at home to Burnley

Intriguingly, the 23-year-old was thrust into a youth fixture recently, suggesting that Arteta is unhappy with his cameo against the Clarets.

Fabio Vieira of Arsenal leaves the pitch after being shown a red card during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Burnley FC at Emirates Stadium on November 11, 2023 in London, United Kingdom.

Fabio Vieira was sent off against Burnley (Image credit: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Olympique Marseille are reportedly interested in bringing the midfielder to southern France.

Transfermarkt estimates that Vieira is worth €45 million.

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Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.