Arsenal news: Patrick Vieira flattered by Arsene Wenger’s future Gunners manager comment

The former Arsenal captain steered Nice to a seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1 this season

Monday 27 May 2019 13:52 BST

Patrick Vieira hopes to return to the Premier League as a manager (Getty)

Patrick Vieira says he was flattered by Arsene Wenger describing him as a future Arsenal boss and admits he wants to manage one of his former clubs.

Vieira has just concluded his first season as a manager in European football, leading OGC Nice to a seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1 with one of the youngest teams in France.

He had previously coached at Manchester City and spent two-and-a-half years in the United States in charge of Major League Soccer side New York City.

Wenger – who joined the Gunners at the same time as Vieira in 1996 – praised his fellow Frenchman last month for constructing his career “intelligently and patiently” and said he saw the 42-year-old as coaching Arsenal in the future.

“I’m really privileged to have worked under Arsene and him saying that is really flattering,” Vieira told Press Association Sport.

Arsene Wenger's best XI

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1/11Arsene Wenger's best XI

Arsene Wenger's best XI

Jens Lehmann

Going unbeaten in the league in his first season, 2003-04, was a fine start to Lehmann's Arsenal career. He would go on to win the 2005 FA Cup but was sent off in the 2006 Champions League final as Arsenal lost to Barcelona - the closest Wenger has come to winning the European Cup.

Arsene Wenger's best XI

Lauren

Signed from Mallorca in 2000 for a fee in excess of £7million, the Cameroon international soon established himself as Wenger's premier right-back. He was one of the first names on the team-sheet for the 2001-02 double season and played a big part in Arsenal's 'Invincibles' campaign. He left the club in 2007 after making almost 250 appearances in his seven-year spell in north London.

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Arsene Wenger's best XI

Sol Campbell

The signing of Campbell on a free transfer from Tottenham remains one of the most controversial moves in the history of the Premier League. The England international surprised the footballing fraternity with the move but his decision, and that of Wenger to poach a player from Arsenal's fierce local rivals, would be vindicated as he was a pivotal part of the Invincibles' unbeaten defence.

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Arsene Wenger's best XI

Laurent Koscielny

The Frenchman joined as a virtually unknown player in 2010 but he would soon establish himself as an important member of Wenger's defence. He scored the equaliser as Arsenal came from 2-0 down to beat Hull in the 2014 FA Cup final to end a run of 10 years without a trophy and was labelled as one of the world's best defenders by Wenger as he developed at the Emirates Stadium.

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Arsene Wenger's best XI

Ashley Cole

Not strictly a Wenger signing but Cole deserves his place in this side having been given his chance to shine by the Frenchman. He came through the ranks and was given his first-team debut at the age of 18, going on to become one of the best left-backs in the world. Two Premier League titles, including the unbeaten season of 2003-04, and three FA Cups would be his reward before an acrimonious move to rivals Chelsea would tarnish his Arsenal legacy.

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Arsene Wenger's best XI

Cesc Fabregas

Signed as a 16-year-old from Barcelona's fabled academy in 2003, Fabregas was soon playing first-team football with Arsenal and remains their youngest-ever player and youngest-ever goalscorer. He became one of the main focal points of Wenger's team and remains one of his biggest success stories but could never manage to help the club win the Premier League for a fourth time before his return to the Nou Camp in 2011.

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Arsene Wenger's best XI

Patrick Vieira

Vieira technically joined the club in the closing days of Bruce Rioch's time in charge and before Wenger took the reins at Highbury. But Vieira admitted it was Wenger's impending arrival which saw him join a club he would go on to captain. Another member of the 2003-04 'Invincibles' campaign, his tough-tackling, full-blooded approach won many admirers and earned more than the odd red card.

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Arsene Wenger's best XI

Freddie Ljungberg

Marking his debut with a goal against bitter rivals Manchester United endeared the Sweden international to the Arsenal fans instantly - and Ljungberg would go on to become a vital ingredient in Wenger's side. Signed after plenty of scouting, Ljungberg made his mark, scoring 71 goals in his 313 Arsenal appearances, earning him the 11th spot in arsenal.com's 'Gunners' Greatest 50 Players' list as he collected two Premier League titles and a hat-trick of FA Cups.

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Arsene Wenger's best XI

Alexis Sanchez

The Chile forward just pips Arsenal's club-record signing Mesut Ozil to a spot in the front three of Wenger's greatest signings. Brought in from Barcelona in 2014 his mixture of tenacity, skill and goalscoring ability saw him become a very popular figure among the home fans at the Emirates Stadium. He scored 25 goals in his debut season including one in the 4-0 FA Cup final win over Aston Villa as Arsenal claimed a record 12th victory in the competition but left for Manchester United under a cloud in January 2018.

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Arsene Wenger's best XI

Thierry Henry

The most obvious inclusion up front is Henry - the France forward who is Arsenal's all-time leading scorer having notched 228 goals across two spells with the club. After an unimpressive stint at Juventus, Henry joined compatriot Wenger and was converted into an out-and-out striker and would never look back. Henry was the Premier League's top goalscorer in four different seasons, winning seven honours with the Gunners.

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Arsene Wenger's best XI

Robert Pires

Having played his part in France's World Cup and European Championship successes of 1998 and 2000, Pires arrived at Arsenal with a winner's pedigree. And, despite an indifferent start, he would maintain that during a six-year spell at the club which saw him score 84 goals, some of them very memorable, as he played his part in one of the most successful periods in Arsenal's history.

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“If I manage Arsenal one day I will take him for dinner and I will pay the bill!

“He didn’t say it to put pressure (on me). It’s just flattering that the guy who spent over 20 years there thinks I have the quality to manage a big club like Arsenal one day.”

Vieira’s celebrated playing career began at Cannes and took him to Milan, Arsenal, Juventus, Inter Milan and Manchester City.

He was a World Cup winner with France in 1998 and appears as single-minded over the path of his managerial career as he was influential in the heat of the midfield battle for club and country.

“Since I was in Manchester City I had a clear idea about the next step for me,” said Vieira, who was linked with succeeding Wenger last summer before Unai Emery was appointed Arsenal manager.

Vieira managed the elite development squad at Manchester City after retiring (Getty)

“Moving from City to New York in the MLS and then coming back to the French league was the right decision.

“I have a clear idea of what I want to achieve, and I will try to take the right decision to get to the top.

“I want to take my time to get there, but I would love one day to manage one of the teams I played for in Italy or England.

“When you have an exciting league like in England, you always want to get involved. But I don’t put a time on it, because my work will decide if I deserve it or not.

“That is what will dictate if I deserve this kind of job.”

Vieira then took his first job as head coach at New York City (Getty)

Nice found goals extremely difficult to come by this season, managing only 30 in their 38 league matches.

Yet they still finished one place and two points better off than in the previous campaign.

“There is more pressure in Europe than in America but I really enjoyed all the difficulties,” said Vieira, who was taking a training session at the Football Association of Wales’ national coaching conference at Newport within 48 hours of Nice’s final game on Friday.

“I’m finding my way but we finished the season seventh with the third youngest team in the league, with all our injury troubles on the field and no number nine.

Patrick Vieira and Arsene Wenger pose with the Premier League and FA Cup trophy after a double winning season in 2002 (Getty)

“It’s been challenging, but we did a good season. The progress is never enough because we always want to do better, but to finish in that position is really good.”

Vieira’s final wish this season is to see Arsenal secure Champions League football next term by beating Chelsea in the Europa League final in Baku on Wednesday.

“They didn’t do it in the league (qualify for the Champions League) and this is the last chance for them,” he said.

“But hopefully they can win that final. Arsenal is a great football club and deserves to be in the Champions League.”

PA

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