Andy Brassell has claimed that former Tottenham manager, Andre Villas-Boas, is using the sale of Fabio Vieira to Arsenal to ‘go for the Porto presidency’, as he told talkSPORT.
During his career, Villas-Boas has managed, both Tottenham and Chelsea in the Premier League, and it seems as though he is now going down another career path, according to European football expert Brassell.
Whilst it hasn’t been confirmed by Arsenal themselves, Porto has revealed that their 22-year-old midfielder, Vieira, is headed to the Premier League, after agreeing on a £34 million deal for the player.
It seems as though this has left a few people unhappy, including the supporters because Vieira might not be the only one leaving, ex-Wolves man, Vitinha, is also being tipped to head for the exit door.
Nonetheless, this is what Brassell had to say regarding Vieira and Vitinha’s futures, as well as Villas-Boas’ plans
“The other interesting point, from an ex-Premier League point of view, is because Fabio Vieira is going,” said Brassell.
“Vithana, who was on loan at Wolves the season before last, went back to Porto, played very well, got into the Portugal team and now he has been sold to Paris Saint-Germain.
“Porto fans are absolutely raging that two of their best young Portuguese players are gone. So, Andre Villas-Boas, of all people, is using this to try and go for the Porto presidency in 2024.
“So, he is moving out of coaching and into something else.”
WHERE DOES VIEIRA FIT IN AT ARSENAL?
It’s not going to be an easy start for Vieira at Arsenal when he finally steps foot into London Colney because his surname alone draws a crowd.
Patrick Vieira was one of Arsenal’s greatest-ever midfielders, players and captains, so whilst the club’s new star is a completely different player, he will still know about that past.
It will be interesting to see how the forward-thinking midfielder fits into Arsenal’s system and what that means for someone like Emile Smith Rowe.
The Englishman struggled for game time towards the back end of last season, so will he fall further down the pecking order?
Or is this Mikel Arteta doing his absolute best to try and bulk up his squad from every end, in preparation for their return to Europe next season?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
