Arsenal great held talks with club over manager's job following Arsene Wenger's exit
Friday 17 January 2020 08:14, UK
Patrick Vieira has revealed he was not interested in the Arsenal job when it became available following Unai Emery's sacking in November.
Vieira is currently in his second year as head coach at French Ligue 1 side Nice after also managing New York City FC but has no plans to return to England.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Vieira confirmed he had held talks with Arsenal - where he was a key player for nine seasons - when Arsene Wenger left.
Be he said: "It was just a conversation about my situation, where I am, what is the next step. Nothing came of it."
No such conversations took place when Emery left, and Vieira is fully focused on his task at Nice and is not currently contemplating a move to the Premier League.
"No (there was no contact), but there is no place in my mind to have those kind of conversations. My focus is here. This project suits who I am and what I want to achieve.
"This rumour about the Arsenal job is not something that bothered me. I don't know what the future holds but that is why I don't want to put my brain somewhere that doesn't exist. This club knows I want to stay and I know they want me to stay, 100 per cent."
Vieira has endured a difficult spell at Nice due to a change of ownership and of key personnel last year, but he is now feeling at his most settled on the French Riviera, and a change of agent to Meissa N'Diaye is understood to have helped.
"I came to Nice because it is a place that is still growing and it is a place for me to grow as well," he said. "I saw (Manchester) City grow and it is the same here. They have big ambitions and want to play European football on a regular basis.
"The 18 months have been challenging on the field, off the field, but those experiences make me a better coach. If one day I leave Nice I would like people to say 'Patrick took this club to a different level'. That's really important to me."
