Gilberto: Vieira exit left us shell-shocked

ARSENAL took so long to recover from the “big impact” of Patrick Vieira’s sale that the title had effectively slipped out of their grasp by the time they “woke up”, Gilberto Silva has admitted.

Vieira's departure in a £13.7 million (€20 million) move to Juventus after years of Arsenal resisting Real Madrid's advances caught the Arsenal squad by surprise this summer.

Not only have they missed his influence, experience and physical power, they took time to recover from the shock, with 10 points dropped in their first four away league games.