Patrick Vieira says he wouldn’t be able to ignore Arsenal if they came calling, but he’s focusing on his current club OGC Nice.

Arsenal are currently searching for a permanent head coach to replace Unai Emery. The club appointed Freddie Ljungberg on an interim basis, but a couple of poor results have just increased the pressure to find a new long-term boss.

Patrick Vieira is reportedly one of the options, with some outlets in France calling him the favourite right now.

David Seaman added to the speculation this weekend, putting Vieira forward as his choice for the next Arsenal manager. Responding to the rumours, Vieira admitted he couldn’t ignore Arsenal. He added that he’s still happy with Nice for now though.

“You can never ignore a club where you’ve spent nine years,” Vieira told Canal+ (via Goal). “But, honestly, I’m focused on this project at Nice, I feel very good here. It’s a very exciting project.

“I’ve always said that I’m very happy in Nice. We’re all working to move the club forward and there is potential.”

Vieira’s current side are 11th in the Ligue 1 table, having won two of their last three league games (but only three of their last 11).

Arguably, appointing the former Gunner would be just as much of a risk as bringing in Mikel Arteta or sticking with Freddie Ljungberg. At this stage, it would still be surprising to me to see it happen.