Arsenal: Patrick Vieira didn’t exactly say no

Patrick Vieira has said that he is flattered by the Arsenal interest but is happy at New York City FC. While that is not a resounding ‘yes’, he didn’t exactly say ‘no’ either.

Arsene Wenger will leave Arsenal football club at the end of the season. That is not a sentence that I ever expected to write this year. And yet, here we are. This may have been wholly anticipated, but that did not make it any less shocking when it actually came to be. And now, as the relentless football world always does, the focus shifts to what’s next.

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One name that has most strongly been linked with the role is Patrick Vieira. The former captain is just one of a myriad of different individuals to be rumoured to be of the Gunners’ interest. But his case might be the strongest, and it rests on one simple truth: He is the only man who has both successful experience in senior management and has a prior connection to the club.

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And Vieira has now had his say on the links to be Wenger’s successor. Speaking with New York radio station WNYE, Vieira, who is enjoying an excellent start to the MLS campaign with New York City FC as the only unbeaten team remaining in the league, admitted the rumours were flattering, but also stated that he is happy in New York:

"“I spent nine years at Arsenal, which makes the club really special for me. But that is not enough to coach the team. I am always flattered to hear my name linked with different football clubs. That is good for your ego but at the same time, I am happy here. We will see what will happen in the next couple of years.”"

But that is not exactly a ‘no’. Although it isn’t a resounding ‘yes’ — though, was it ever actually going to be? –, Vieira does not out-of-hand reject the possibility of succeeding Wenger at the end of the year.

He does say, though, that he is happy in New York. But the two, his being happy in New York and his wanting to leave New York to become Arsenal manager, are not mutually exclusive. He can both be happy in New York and also want to leave. People have more than just one, blinkered track of happiness. There are more jobs and more places that bring joy than just one.

And so the Gunners should not be deterred by Vieira’s comments, not that that was ever going to actually deter them if they were wanting to pursue the formerly striding, towering midfielder. And nor should it deter fans. This is just a manager appeasing the fans of his current club.

Next: Arsenal: Top 5 Arsene Wenger replacements

Vieira, for me, is the one that I would most like to see Arsenal hire. Whether the club agrees or not, only time will tell. But these comments do not put me off him. He may not have said ‘yes’, but he did not exactly say ‘no’ either.