Arsenal £30m Flop Faces Nightmare Loan Spell After Receiving Second Red Card in Just Five Games
After being sent off for the second time in just five Bundesliga games, Fabio Vieira’s tenure at Hamburg has become worse.
The 25-year-old midfielder, who signed a season-long loan with the German team in the summer, lost his temper during a 4-1 loss to Koln and was given a second yellow card late in the game as HSV suffered their fourth loss of the year.
Vieira had yet another terrible performance for Hamburg when he was sent off for arguing with the referee during a 4-1 Bundesliga loss to Koln.
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Before his annoyance erupted in the final moments, the Portuguese playmaker, who was on loan from Arsenal, had earlier had a possible goal disallowed for offside.
Only four minutes after teammate Immanuel Pherai was also sent out, Vieira was sent off, leaving Hamburg with nine men at the end of the match.
Before Jean-Luc Dompe gave Hamburg a glimmer of hope with a goal in the 61st minute, Koln had already grabbed control thanks to goals from Florian Kainz and Ragnar Ache.
But after two players were sent off in the last ten minutes, the visitors’ defence disintegrated as they gave up twice in stoppage time to Jakub Kaminski and Said El Mala.
With just eight points from their first games, Hamburg fell to 13th place in the standings, making it an expensive night overall.
Vieira’s terrible start to his time in Germany was made worse by the red card, which was his second in five league games for the team.
The German FA suspended him for two games after he was earlier dismissed for a high challenge on Leopold Querfeld during a goalless draw with Union Berlin.
The Arsenal loanee will undoubtedly face further scrutiny as a result of the most recent incident, and as this is his second sending-off of the season, he will be sidelined for two more games.
After two disappointing years at Arsenal, Vieira’s transfer to Hamburg was supposed to be an opportunity for the 25-year-old to regain confidence. signed for about £30 million ($39.5 million) in 2022 from Porto.
However, the Portugal youth international only managed three Premier League starts over the course of two seasons due to Mikel Arteta’s lack of consistent opportunities.
Vieira struggled to adjust to the physical demands of English football while displaying flashes of potential, such as converting the game-winning penalty in Arsenal’s 2023 Community Shield victory over Manchester City.
He appeared to be revitalised after returning to Porto on loan last season, where he made 42 appearances and provided five goals and six assists.
Due to his performances, he was loaned again, this time to Hamburg, who regarded him as a vital member of their first Bundesliga season following seven years in the second division.
Rather, Vieira’s time in Germany has been characterised by inconsistency and lack of discipline.
His two red cards have masked any moments of brilliance, and supporters are growing impatient as Hamburg’s performance falters.
Vieira’s ascent at Porto, where he became one of Portugal’s most promising young midfielders with current Paris Saint-Germain sensation Vitinha, is very different from his recent difficulties.
The playmaker represented Portugal at different junior levels and participated in more than 100 senior games with his childhood club, winning several domestic titles.
His performance in the 2021–2022 season, when he led Porto to a league championship, persuaded Arsenal to make their £30 million acquisition.
Vieira has made 49 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, tallying two goals and six assists.
Although he has occasionally shown promise in cup matches, he has struggled to unseat Martin Odegaard and other midfield players in Arteta’s favoured midfield configuration.
However, his technical prowess was never questioned, he struggled to earn a consistent starting position in the Premier League due to his lack of physicality and consistency.
In order to move up from the bottom of the standings, Hamburg’s top priority will be to stabilise their performance before their match next week.
After Vieira’s ban expires, head coach Merlin Polzin and the club’s management must determine whether to search elsewhere for midfield stability or to keep depending on him.
Vieira’s long-term future at the club and international levels will be decided in the upcoming months.
Arsenal will keep a careful eye on his development, but a return to the starting lineup appears improbable given Arteta’s midfield’s abundance of choices.
