Arsenal are pushing ahead with their search to find Arsene Wenger’s successor but have reportedly upset a club legend in the process.
Sky Sports understands that the Gunners made contact with former club captain Patrick Vieira, now in charge of MLS franchise New York City FC, but the France World Cup winner believes it was just a ‘token gesture’.
Mikel Arteta is widely understood to be the leading candidate to take charge at the Emirates Stadium, with a variety of reports suggesting a deal is close, although Vieira was quickly named as a potential successor to Wenger when news of the experienced boss’ departure first broke.
While Arsenal did approach Vieira about the possibility of replacing Wenger, Vieira believes the ‘token gesture’ was made just to appease him and supporters, questioning whether the Gunners were genuinely interested in his services.
Vieira, who works closely with Manchester City, is rated very highly and is tipped to have a successful future ahead of him in management – and it’s unlikely this will be the only time he’s linked with Arsenal.
