Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has said Patrick Vieira is capable of succeeding Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, though the New York City FC boss distanced himself from speculation linking him to the job.
Wenger on Friday announced his intentions to leave the Emirates after 22 years this summer — just one day after saying Vieira has the “potential” to manage Arsenal one day.
Man City and NYCFC are affiliated through parent company City Football Group, and Guardiola said that after Vieira’s success in MLS, the former Arsenal captain can be an elite coach.
“Of course, he already is [a top manager],” Guardiola told reporters. “Now, with what happened [at Arsenal], there is a lot of names there. Arsenal is going to take the best decision for them.
But Vieira, a former Arsenal captain now managing NYCFC in Major League Soccer, played it cool when asked about the job by radio station WNYE.
“I spent nine years at Arsenal which makes the club really special for me,” he said. “But that is not enough to coach the team. I am always flattered to hear my name linked. That is good for your ego, but at the same time, I am happy here.”
Vieira has led NYCFC to the MLS Eastern Conference semifinals in each of his first two seasons, and his club are top of the table through seven games this year.
The 41-year-old said last month that he would be interested in the Arsenal job, but wouldn’t discuss it further while Wenger was still in charge. That comes after he said in December that he was “not chasing a job in Europe” after being approached by French club Saint-Etienne.
Meanwhile, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers — who has previous Premier League experience with Swansea and Liverpool — also said he is happy on and off the field in Glasgow.
