Patrick Vieira Says He Would Like to Manage Arsenal in the Future

Former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira has said he would like to return to the Gunners as manager in the future.

The Frenchman spoke to RMC's Team Duga programme (h/t Goal's Robin Bairner) about his ambitions after being asked if he would be interested in managing his former club:

"Yes, like any player, when we do this job we want to reach the very highest level. But I can reach a very high level with Nice from the moment we give ourselves the means to succeed and at the moment the way which we work is quite consistent. But we do this job, and I do this job, to one day to be the coach of a team that participates in the Champions League or the World Cup."

Vieira spent nine years at Arsenal as a player and is widely regarded as one of the club's greats. He was the captain of the "Invincibles" team that went undefeated through the 2003-04 Premier League season on their way to winning the title:

The 43-year-old also helped the Gunners land two other Premier League titles and three FA Cups before leaving for Juventus in 2005. After one season in Turin, he went on to enjoy a successful spell at Inter Milan, capturing four Serie A crowns, before returning to the Premier League with Manchester City.

Vieira also tasted great success at the international level. He won 107 caps for France and claimed the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA 2000 European Championship.

The midfielder retired from football in 2011 and went on to work in management. His first roles came at Manchester City, and he moved on to the United States in 2015 to be the head coach of New York City FC.

Vieira guided his team to consecutive play-off appearances in his first two seasons in Major League Soccer before leaving for Nice in June 2018.

The Ligue 1 side finished seventh in Vieira's first season in charge. The manager spoke in April about the differences between being a boss and a player, per Sky Sports:

Former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said in April that he sees Vieira "more as Arsenal manager one day" than coach of the French national team, per Canal Football Club (h/t Get French Football News).

Vieira remains a popular figure among Arsenal supporters and would certainly receive a warm welcome if he were to come back and manage the club.