Arsenal's Fabio Vieira plan emerges as Porto speak out after private jet rumours

Porto manager Vitor Bruno has quashed rumours that Fabio Vieira is on the brink of an Arsenal recall.

After difficulty breaking into the Arsenal team since his £34million move to the Gunners in the summer of 2022, Vieira has found himself back at Porto on loan, clocking up 17 appearances across competitions.

His absence from the squad for Porto’s demolition of Boavista fuelled speculation of an imminent return to London, especially after reports of a private jet flying from Porto to London surfaced.

However, Bruno has made it clear he expects Vieira to remain for the rest of the season although Arsenal have lost Bukayo Saka due to injury for at least two months.

“I have to make decisions, pay close attention to the players’ performance and how they view their day-to-day activities. Fabio is very talented, but talent has to be based on a series of assumptions,” Bruno explained post-Boavista victory.

“And when one or two of them ends up falling apart, it makes everything more difficult. He has immense potential and I have a large squad that offers me guarantees, I cannot give up on certain principles that are mine.

“I don’t need to pass on any message. Fábio knows me well and we are counting on him. He will be available to play again next week. So it is a question of making decisions.”

Vieira’s absence from the squad is believed to be due to a timekeeping issue rather than a recall. A Bola reports that Vieira was late for a training session during the week, prompting manager Bruno to enforce a disciplinary action in accordance with the club’s internal rules.

Vieira has been instrumental in helping Porto overtake early leaders Sporting Lisbon and emerge as favourites to win the Primeira Liga. He has netted twice and provided two assists, earning him the label of ‘genius’ from Bruno back in October.

“Fabio is Fabio, he is no longer a rookie, he has genius within him, that trait that is innate, but more important is everything else he has done,” the Porto boss said earlier this season.

“What he has been doing for the past four or five years, he will continue to do well. The rest, he has done and has given very strong signals to me and the technical team, so that we can make decisions.”

With Arsenal already well-stocked in midfield, a recall for Vieira seems unlikely. Instead, he is expected to prepare for Porto’s trip to Nacional on Friday, assuming Bruno decides his punishment has been served.