Robert Pires thinks Patrick Vieira is ‘100%’ ready to manage Arsenal, as someone who is regularly in contract with his fellow Frenchman.
Speaking to beIN Sports, Pires said that in his opinion, the 41-year-old should come back to England and take the job.
“He is my friend, I talk to him a lot,” said Pires. “If you ask me if he is ready to manage Arsenal I’d say yes 100%. But that’s my opinion.”
When asked what his message would be for Vieira, Pires then responded: “Patrick, come home.”
It makes sense that Pires would back his former teammate. The pair were hugely successful with Arsenal, as well as with France. They won the Premier League, FA Cups, the World Cup, the European Championship, every major trophy except the Champions League, unfortunately.
Whether the 44-year-old really believes in Vieira, or he’s just showing his support out of respect for what they achieved together, it’s hard to say.
Arsenal fans are generally split on the idea of their former captain coming back to manage. He’s certainly a popular figure, and would bring a fighting mentality to the club. He also knows Arsene Wenger’s style of football very well, so he has the first-hand experience to try and keep it going if he wanted to.
On the other end, that experience all comes on the pitch. On the sidelines he only has some time with the Manchester City academy and MLS side New York City. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s enough for the board to give him a chance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=dJRKb1-2Pm8