Arsenal had a mostly successful transfer window under Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar in the summer of 2022, but it could have been even better.
Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko arrived from Manchester City to help turn Arsenal into title contenders, and they were boosted by the return of William Saliba from his loan at Olympique Marseille.
Arsenal also sprung a surprise when they poached young talent Fabio Vieira from FC Porto, for a fairly significant fee of £34m.
Vieira arrived as a talented but raw attacking midfielder, who had only broken into the Porto first team just months before, but whilst he has shown glimpses of his best ability, he is yet to fully shine in an Arsenal shirt.
Question marks remain over his long-term future, and he has started just five Premier League games in his two seasons so far, and it may now be questioned whether Edu came back from Porto with the wrong midfielder.
Could Arsenal have signed Vitinha instead of Fabio Vieira in 2022?
Porto were Champions of Portugal in 2022, and Vieira played a significant part in their success as he recorded six goals and 14 assists in just 27 league appearances.
However, there was an even better midfielder in Vitinha, who had previously failed to impress in a loan spell at Wolves.
A technically outstanding central midfielder who can also play in wide positions, Vitinha is of a similar profile to his former teammate Vieira, but one year older and plays with more defensive tenacity.
In the same summer window that Vieira made his move to Arsenal, Vitinha moved to Paris Saint-Germain for the same price, and is now thriving in the French capital.
Vitinha delivers midfield masterclass despite PSG defeat in Champions League
PSG were eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals after a 2-0 aggregate defeat to Borussia Dortmund, but it was Vitinha, not Kylian Mbappe, who stepped up for the Parisians.
Vitinha’s all-action display in midfield was not enough to help his side progress, but he is one of few PSG players who can leave with his head held high.
The 24-year-old registered six shots, including one long-range scorcher which rattled the crossbar, whilst also creating three chances, completing 13 passes in the final third and keeping the ball ticking with a 90% pass accuracy.
This display showcased why he could have been a good fit in the Arsenal midfield, and Edu may have been watching with some regret.
Vitinha could have been Arsenal’s midfield solution
Arsenal have been linked with defensive midfielders such as Martin Zubimendi, as well as more advanced options including Joao Neves of Benfica, with Declan Rice able to play either role to allow a new signing to fit in alongside him and Martin Odegaard.
It speaks volumes about Vieira’s time at Arsenal that after two seasons and a significant investment, he is not yet considered ready to be a starter or a good fit for Arteta’s side. However, there is a case to be made that one more season, with Vieira staying fit and playing more regularly can help him justify his price tag.
READ MORE: All Mikel Arteta signings at Arsenal ranked from worst to best
Vitinha right now looks a perfect fit for the left-sided number eight role at Arsenal, who could dictate play whilst also providing a goal threat, and if the club had signed him instead of Vieira, for the same price at the same time as Vieira, there may be less need to add another midfielder now.
One counter-point is that Vieira and Vitinha had both played a similar amount at Porto, with Vieira registering a better goal and assist output, but Vitinha’s performances as his side won the domestic double saw him named the Primeira Liga Young Player of the Year over his teammate Vieira.
