Vieira Signed (OFFICIAL)

[john@staustell]

In time I think we will. Vieira is the perfect stopgap for the remainder of this season

So obvious Chinners I'm fed up making the point. Most of these anti posts are all going back to the 11-man argument - 'What will happen to so-and-so if we sign whoever?'

It was obvious to anyone but an idiot (maybe even some idiots!) that our squads at Wolves and Boro were very depleted, and of those many were probably carrying knocks.

It's about strengthening the squad for the next few months to get results! Not about next season nor after that at the moment. It's about maintaining a strong team, and a strong bench, WHOEVER IS INJURED AND SUSPENDED!

[zuricity]

My younger brother thinks Mancini might play him as a sweeper alongside Kompany.

Must admit, it sounds like a good idea. Probably far more robust (Kompany and Vieira) than Lescott and Toure.

[carolina-blue]

Our DM position is over subscribed with Barry, NDJ, Kompany and Zabba (part time). People are now thinking Vieira is a good signing because we can leave Kompany as CB. Why not a buy a Decent CB as we know we need one and leave Kompany in DM FFS?[/quote]

Barry is no holding midfielder, Kompany is better at centerback (imo), Zabaleta is fullback who can play there if needed (not natural). Besides Vieira is more of a strong box-to-boxer than out and out defensive midfielder.[/quote]


None of them have ever let us down in that position before though.[/quote]

Right now, Komapny is needed at the back and Zabba at right. Barry in his natural role.

Even when everyone is fit, we basically have three senior central midfielders in Barry, De Jong and Ireland. Surely you'd agree additions are needed?[/quote]

Yes but i genuinely thought we would get a younger quality player.[/quote]

In time I think we will. Vieira is the perfect stopgap for the remainder of this season[/quote]


And maybe next season as well , Getting in the top 4 is one thing staying there is another , I honestly think this is going to be a good signing .

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

As a last thought, If he is still so fantastic. Why did Wenger think it was best for Arsenal to cash in on him 4 years ago? If he is so fantastic, why have Inter Milan decided he is not worth keeping and they are releasing him when they have some huge games coming up in the Champs league and Domestically?

what have Arsenal won since he left?
what have Inter won while he's been there?
surely that's something to consider

And what did Juve win while he was there?

League.

[Beeks]

Good article py Phil McNulty that generally sums up how I feel

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/ ... affor.html

Vieira - a risk Man City can afford to take
Post categories: Premier League

Phil McNulty | 11:00 UK time, Thursday, 7 January 2010

When asked to name a Premier League "Team of the Noughties" I had no hesitation in planting Patrick Vieira right at its heart - ahead of Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane - and making the Frenchman a prime contender to captain this imaginary eleven.

My selection was not based on my last two in-the-flesh glimpses of Vieira - namely an embarrassing appearance as a substitute when Liverpool beat Inter Milan in the Champions League in 2008 and a desperate 45 minutes at Manchester United in the same tournament a year later when Jose Mourinho mercifully put him out of his misery at half-time.

It was based on Vieira as leader of Arsenal's "Invincibles" of 2004, a player in at the start of Arsene Wenger's magical Highbury renewal and the captain whose final kick for the club - the winning penalty against Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup final - gave the Gunners their last trophy.

Vieira was both enforcer and creator supreme, an iconic Arsenal figure and symbol of Wenger's transfer market genius. He had plucked the athletic and gifted midfield man from AC Milan's reserves for £3.5m in 1996.

Manchester City will be hoping for more of the Arsenal vintage than the Inter one as they prepare to sign Vieira on a short-term deal. It is a gamble by new manager Roberto Mancini, but the Eastlands riches make it one he can afford.

Vieira's recent form suggests he is a spent force at the highest level. At 33 years of age, he is unable to command regular first-team football at Inter after making only 16 appearances this season, most as substitute.

Yet his move to City is perfectly logical from his point of view as he clings to hopes of making this summer's World Cup and adding some knowhow to Raymond Domenech's flawed France side.

Vieira knows that if he shows even glimpses of his former greatness, the vulnerable Domenech may be tempted to go back to the reliability of one of his country's greatest players as he plots his campaign in South Africa.

And for City, this means they will be getting a motivated Vieira, eyeing one last shot at the greatest stage in football. Vieira is also a fiercely proud man who will not want to mar so many glorious Premier League memories by displaying only faded grandeur at Eastlands.

So for Senegalese-born Vieira, the lure of Manchester City and the Premier League is clear, in both a footballing and financial context.

For City, the reasoning is not so obvious. Mancini knows his man, having signed him for Inter from Juventus in 2006, but he has younger and more energetic midfield players at his disposal in Stephen Ireland, Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and Vincent Kompany.

Mancini made a point of lavishing praise on the combative De Jong after I watched his first game in charge of City against Stoke City on Boxing Day.

So why the need for Vieira, who has seen better days, comes expensively even on a short-term deal and who is a shadow of the player who once reigned supreme in winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups at Arsenal?

Wenger (right) says Vieira can play a key role for Manchester City

Mancini can take heart from the words of Vieira's former manager Wenger, who toyed with the idea of re-signing his former captain but ultimately stuck to the old maxin that you should never go back.

Wenger believes that Vieira can make an important contribution to the transition taking place at Eastlands.

'We have young players in his position and are not in a real need to bring players in this position," said the Gunners boss. "I was surprised it was Manchester City. I believe he will still be very effective in the Premier League because he has been injury-free for three or four months, and that is what he needed."

The other side of the coin is expressed by Vieira's former Arsenal team-mate and BBC football pundit Lee Dixon. "Patrick gets a few little niggles and hasn't got a classically fit footballer's body, where you know he's an athlete who can go on and on," said the former right-back.

"He might look like he has that body, but he hasn't. He always needed a long time to recover after games, longer than some of the older lads.

"When Patrick joined Juventus from Arsenal, the Premier League and Serie A were like chalk and cheese, and, at that stage of his career, it suited him. I know myself that, since I finished back in 2002, the game is twice as fast and ridiculously different to when I played.

"It's four-and-a-half years since he left Arsenal, he's 33 and if you are asking, 'can he play at the top level?', then I wouldn't think he'd play every week."

Vieira may, however, help Mancini address two problem areas that undermined his predecessor Mark Hughes, allowing the Italian to deliver on his promise of silverware.

When I have watched City this season, they have occasionally lacked leadership on the pitch and have almost always been vulnerable at the back. Kolo Toure, another former Arsenal star, has not been a comfortable fit as either captain or defensive lynchpin.

Vieira, at any age, is a natural leader, and his experience may enable him to offer a more effective screen to City's exposed back four, although the legs and energy are not what they were.

And City, unlike many other clubs who may have been tempted to take a punt on Vieira, are in the luxurious financial position of knowing they can afford the odd failed gamble. The Eastlands hierarchy may not like it, but they know it will amount to the smallest of drops in the giant ocean of cash available to their Abu Dhabi rulers.

Great players should always be welcomed back to the Premier League, but it is to be hoped Vieira, a midfield prizefighter happy to stand toe-to-toe with Manchester United's Roy Keane (and that was only in the tunnel before kick-off), has not taken on one fight too many.

As someone who put him in my team of the decade, I would hate to see more of the latter-day Vieira, floundering in vain to find the old magic and struggling to cope with younger and more athletic adversaries. I am sure this would also apply to anyone who saw him at the peak of his powers at Highbury.

If he can recapture just a little of what made him great before he left for Juventus in 2005, then Mancini's first transfer market move since arriving at Eastlands may turn out to be a coup.

[lets all have a disco]

Im tired of talking about it now ,lets just see how he does.

I hope he is a roaring success in our squad.

[BobKowalski]

So 7 pages over a free transfer and for a mere 18 month contract at that. Vieira will be delighted at the attention his arrival has caused. But as its the first real chance to have a pop at Mancini - 18 months outrageous! £140k a week obscene as if footballers wages below £140k are fine - it will make some people happy :)

Personally I am ok with a couple of seasoned pros coming in on a short term basis but if people want to have pop at this signing thats fine but don't use the money argument. Sheikh Mansour has amply demonstrated he doesn't care what it costs as long as we win matches and trophies. We signed Bellers on a 4 and half year deal when by Bellers own admission he has only got a year or two left at the top plus we actually shelled out money upfront so lets not get carried away with our outraged horror at the 'cost' of this signing.

As for Vieira well if it was ok for Hughes to get his mate Bellers in then its okay for Mancini to get his mate Patrick in. Vieira is there to show the dressing room how to go a season unbeaten in the PL and he will need help polishing his medals inbetween training sessions.

[DoomMerchant]

I think he's likely to play and likely to shine. And that will serve his purpose to get into the French squad and team.
As to where he fits in, I think we should remember that de Jong is actually a much more attack minded player than he has been allowed to be in our side. Kompany looks good in central defence too, so they could both be deployed in a team that included Vieira.

Him and Barry side by side? mmm, might be a good idea in some games

and he's not McManaman, he's like Ali B...33

Great point about NDJ...has anyone seen him play in the Dutch setup? Granted, his MOTM performance vs Chelsea makes us think we've got the next Makelele, but he's actually a pretty versatile player which we see very little of in that regard.

I'm reserving judgment about Vieira until he actually kicks a ball for City and we see how he performs. I'm not overly bummed or superexcited...it is, as they say...what...it is.

cheers

[Wonderwall]

Good article py Phil McNulty that generally sums up how I feel

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/ ... affor.html

Vieira - a risk Man City can afford to take
Post categories: Premier League

Phil McNulty | 11:00 UK time, Thursday, 7 January 2010

When asked to name a Premier League "Team of the Noughties" I had no hesitation in planting Patrick Vieira right at its heart - ahead of Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane - and making the Frenchman a prime contender to captain this imaginary eleven.

My selection was not based on my last two in-the-flesh glimpses of Vieira - namely an embarrassing appearance as a substitute when Liverpool beat Inter Milan in the Champions League in 2008 and a desperate 45 minutes at Manchester U***d in the same tournament a year later when Jose Mourinho mercifully put him out of his misery at half-time.

It was based on Vieira as leader of Arsenal's "Invincibles" of 2004, a player in at the start of Arsene Wenger's magical Highbury renewal and the captain whose final kick for the club - the winning penalty against Manchester U***d in the 2005 FA Cup final - gave the Gunners their last trophy.

Vieira was both enforcer and creator supreme, an iconic Arsenal figure and symbol of Wenger's transfer market genius. He had plucked the athletic and gifted midfield man from AC Milan's reserves for £3.5m in 1996.

Manchester City will be hoping for more of the Arsenal vintage than the Inter one as they prepare to sign Vieira on a short-term deal. It is a gamble by new manager Roberto Mancini, but the Eastlands riches make it one he can afford.

Vieira's recent form suggests he is a spent force at the highest level. At 33 years of age, he is unable to command regular first-team football at Inter after making only 16 appearances this season, most as substitute.

Yet his move to City is perfectly logical from his point of view as he clings to hopes of making this summer's World Cup and adding some knowhow to Raymond Domenech's flawed France side.

Vieira knows that if he shows even glimpses of his former greatness, the vulnerable Domenech may be tempted to go back to the reliability of one of his country's greatest players as he plots his campaign in South Africa.

And for City, this means they will be getting a motivated Vieira, eyeing one last shot at the greatest stage in football. Vieira is also a fiercely proud man who will not want to mar so many glorious Premier League memories by displaying only faded grandeur at Eastlands.

So for Senegalese-born Vieira, the lure of Manchester City and the Premier League is clear, in both a footballing and financial context.

For City, the reasoning is not so obvious. Mancini knows his man, having signed him for Inter from Juventus in 2006, but he has younger and more energetic midfield players at his disposal in Stephen Ireland, Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and Vincent Kompany.

Mancini made a point of lavishing praise on the combative De Jong after I watched his first game in charge of City against Stoke City on Boxing Day.

So why the need for Vieira, who has seen better days, comes expensively even on a short-term deal and who is a shadow of the player who once reigned supreme in winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups at Arsenal?

Wenger (right) says Vieira can play a key role for Manchester City

Mancini can take heart from the words of Vieira's former manager Wenger, who toyed with the idea of re-signing his former captain but ultimately stuck to the old maxin that you should never go back.

Wenger believes that Vieira can make an important contribution to the transition taking place at Eastlands.

'We have young players in his position and are not in a real need to bring players in this position," said the Gunners boss. "I was surprised it was Manchester City. I believe he will still be very effective in the Premier League because he has been injury-free for three or four months, and that is what he needed."

The other side of the coin is expressed by Vieira's former Arsenal team-mate and BBC football pundit Lee Dixon. "Patrick gets a few little niggles and hasn't got a classically fit footballer's body, where you know he's an athlete who can go on and on," said the former right-back.

"He might look like he has that body, but he hasn't. He always needed a long time to recover after games, longer than some of the older lads.

"When Patrick joined Juventus from Arsenal, the Premier League and Serie A were like chalk and cheese, and, at that stage of his career, it suited him. I know myself that, since I finished back in 2002, the game is twice as fast and ridiculously different to when I played.

"It's four-and-a-half years since he left Arsenal, he's 33 and if you are asking, 'can he play at the top level?', then I wouldn't think he'd play every week."

Vieira may, however, help Mancini address two problem areas that undermined his predecessor Mark Hughes, allowing the Italian to deliver on his promise of silverware.

When I have watched City this season, they have occasionally lacked leadership on the pitch and have almost always been vulnerable at the back. Kolo Toure, another former Arsenal star, has not been a comfortable fit as either captain or defensive lynchpin.

Vieira, at any age, is a natural leader, and his experience may enable him to offer a more effective screen to City's exposed back four, although the legs and energy are not what they were.

And City, unlike many other clubs who may have been tempted to take a punt on Vieira, are in the luxurious financial position of knowing they can afford the odd failed gamble. The Eastlands hierarchy may not like it, but they know it will amount to the smallest of drops in the giant ocean of cash available to their Abu Dhabi rulers.

Great players should always be welcomed back to the Premier League, but it is to be hoped Vieira, a midfield prizefighter happy to stand toe-to-toe with Manchester U***d's Roy Keane (and that was only in the tunnel before kick-off), has not taken on one fight too many.

As someone who put him in my team of the decade, I would hate to see more of the latter-day Vieira, floundering in vain to find the old magic and struggling to cope with younger and more athletic adversaries. I am sure this would also apply to anyone who saw him at the peak of his powers at Highbury.

If he can recapture just a little of what made him great before he left for Juventus in 2005, then Mancini's first transfer market move since arriving at Eastlands may turn out to be a coup.

I feel depressed

[Patrick]

I hope this doesnt come back and slap us in the face

[Ted Hughes]

I think if it really is an18 month contract, most of us will feel pretty uneasy about it, even those who prefer to pretend otherwise but we all want him to succeed & Mancini to succeed so let's hope it turns out to be a masterstroke. It's not as if we're short of money.

[Beeks]

I feel depressed

Ha! That's because you're glass half empty Wally...I could easily highlight the positives in that article too...but I have neither the will or the disposition to do so ;-)

[Wonderwall]

I feel depressed

Ha! That's because you're glass half empty Wally...I could easily highlight the positives in that article too...but I have neither the will or the disposition to do so ;-)

I was looking for them but there are so many negatives its unbelievable. However, I have said my piece now. I dont think it is a good move, but its not like we are getting rid of anyone to make way for him. I want De Jong to keep the DM role and then its up to him to lose it.

I hope I am wrong about PV and its a masterstroke, however, as you say, I am not in the glass half full mood about this one. And you are right.

[Ted Hughes]

I feel depressed

Ha! That's because you're glass half empty Wally...I could easily highlight the positives in that article too...but I have neither the will or the disposition to do so ;-)

It's not a very positive article mate but what it fails to take into account is that he's now supposedly 100% fit wheras he'd been struggling for fitness during a lot of those previous performances.

[Blue in North London]

Our most influential and creative player of last season has lost his mojo, if he was on fire, we would have hit a few teams for 6 this year. Maybe a creative player would be a better proposition?

Our DM position is over subscribed with Barry, NDJ, Kompany and Zabba (part time). People are now thinking Vieira is a good signing because we can leave Kompany as CB. Why not a buy a Decent CB as we know we need one and leave Kompany in DM FFS?

Barry is no holding midfielder, Kompany is better at centerback (imo), Zabaleta is fullback who can play there if needed (not natural). Besides Vieira is more of a strong box-to-boxer than out and out defensive midfielder.

My thoughts exactly

[Wooders]

I'm completely bemused to be frank...
Can somebody please clarify why having a top class pro like Vieira added to the squad is so awful?
For a start I very much doubt he will usurp barry and NDJ for a starting place in the squad and as we know injuries and suspensions are common place at this point in the season.
Secondly this "over subscribed in centre midfield" argument I really cannot understand either! As far as I see it we only have Barry and NDJ who are true central/defensive midfielders in our entire squad - Johnson as well but he is injured and won't be back this season if ever and Ireland who isn't comfortable there, he needs to be in attack. Komps and Zabba are defenders for fucks sake, its the same people who say "why are we buying a CM when we're short of defenders" that are against Vieira coming... well there is two for you right fuckin there who you are determined to play in CDM it seems ??

As I say - bemused, well and truly

[OliverHardy]

When asked to name a Premier League "Team of the Noughties" I had no hesitation in planting Patrick Vieira right at its heart - ahead of Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane - and making the Frenchman a prime contender to captain this imaginary eleven.

My selection was not based on my last two in-the-flesh glimpses of Vieira - namely an embarrassing appearance as a substitute when Liverpool beat Inter Milan in the Champions League in 2008 and a desperate 45 minutes at Manchester United in the same tournament a year later when Jose Mourinho mercifully put him out of his misery at half-time.

It was based on Vieira as leader of Arsenal's "Invincibles" of 2004, a player in at the start of Arsene Wenger's magical Highbury renewal and the captain whose final kick for the club - the winning penalty against Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup final - gave the Gunners their last trophy.

Vieira was both enforcer and creator supreme, an iconic Arsenal figure and symbol of Wenger's transfer market genius. He had plucked the athletic and gifted midfield man from AC Milan's reserves for £3.5m in 1996.

Manchester City will be hoping for more of the Arsenal vintage than the Inter one as they prepare to sign Vieira on a short-term deal. It is a gamble by new manager Roberto Mancini, but the Eastlands riches make it one he can afford.

Vieira's recent form suggests he is a spent force at the highest level. At 33 years of age, he is unable to command regular first-team football at Inter after making only 16 appearances this season, most as substitute.

Yet his move to City is perfectly logical from his point of view as he clings to hopes of making this summer's World Cup and adding some knowhow to Raymond Domenech's flawed France side.

Vieira knows that if he shows even glimpses of his former greatness, the vulnerable Domenech may be tempted to go back to the reliability of one of his country's greatest players as he plots his campaign in South Africa.

And for City, this means they will be getting a motivated Vieira, eyeing one last shot at the greatest stage in football. Vieira is also a fiercely proud man who will not want to mar so many glorious Premier League memories by displaying only faded grandeur at Eastlands.

So for Senegalese-born Vieira, the lure of Manchester City and the Premier League is clear, in both a footballing and financial context.

For City, the reasoning is not so obvious. Mancini knows his man, having signed him for Inter from Juventus in 2006, but he has younger and more energetic midfield players at his disposal in Stephen Ireland, Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and Vincent Kompany.

Mancini made a point of lavishing praise on the combative De Jong after I watched his first game in charge of City against Stoke City on Boxing Day.

So why the need for Vieira, who has seen better days, comes expensively even on a short-term deal and who is a shadow of the player who once reigned supreme in winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups at Arsenal?

Mancini can take heart from the words of Vieira's former manager Wenger, who toyed with the idea of re-signing his former captain but ultimately stuck to the old maxin that you should never go back.

Wenger believes that Vieira can make an important contribution to the transition taking place at Eastlands.

'We have young players in his position and are not in a real need to bring players in this position," said the Gunners boss. "I was surprised it was Manchester City. I believe he will still be very effective in the Premier League because he has been injury-free for three or four months, and that is what he needed."

The other side of the coin is expressed by Vieira's former Arsenal team-mate and BBC football pundit Lee Dixon. "Patrick gets a few little niggles and hasn't got a classically fit footballer's body, where you know he's an athlete who can go on and on," said the former right-back.

"He might look like he has that body, but he hasn't. He always needed a long time to recover after games, longer than some of the older lads.

"When Patrick joined Juventus from Arsenal, the Premier League and Serie A were like chalk and cheese, and, at that stage of his career, it suited him. I know myself that, since I finished back in 2002, the game is twice as fast and ridiculously different to when I played.

"It's four-and-a-half years since he left Arsenal, he's 33 and if you are asking, 'can he play at the top level?', then I wouldn't think he'd play every week."

Vieira may, however, help Mancini address two problem areas that undermined his predecessor Mark Hughes, allowing the Italian to deliver on his promise of silverware.

When I have watched City this season, they have occasionally lacked leadership on the pitch and have almost always been vulnerable at the back. Kolo Toure, another former Arsenal star, has not been a comfortable fit as either captain or defensive lynchpin.

Vieira, at any age, is a natural leader, and his experience may enable him to offer a more effective screen to City's exposed back four, although the legs and energy are not what they were.

And City, unlike many other clubs who may have been tempted to take a punt on Vieira, are in the luxurious financial position of knowing they can afford the odd failed gamble. The Eastlands hierarchy may not like it, but they know it will amount to the smallest of drops in the giant ocean of cash available to their Abu Dhabi rulers.

Great players should always be welcomed back to the Premier League, but it is to be hoped Vieira, a midfield prizefighter happy to stand toe-to-toe with Manchester United's Roy Keane (and that was only in the tunnel before kick-off), has not taken on one fight too many.

As someone who put him in my team of the decade, I would hate to see more of the latter-day Vieira, floundering in vain to find the old magic and struggling to cope with younger and more athletic adversaries. I am sure this would also apply to anyone who saw him at the peak of his powers at Highbury.

If he can recapture just a little of what made him great before he left for Juventus in 2005, then Mancini's first transfer market move since arriving at Eastlands may turn out to be a coup.


I feel quite optimistic :-)

[Ted Hughes]

Our most influential and creative player of last season has lost his mojo, if he was on fire, we would have hit a few teams for 6 this year. Maybe a creative player would be a better proposition?

Our DM position is over subscribed with Barry, NDJ, Kompany and Zabba (part time). People are now thinking Vieira is a good signing because we can leave Kompany as CB. Why not a buy a Decent CB as we know we need one and leave Kompany in DM FFS?

Barry is no holding midfielder, Kompany is better at centerback (imo), Zabaleta is fullback who can play there if needed (not natural). Besides Vieira is more of a strong box-to-boxer than out and out defensive midfielder.

My thoughts exactly

If Vieira manages to regularly run from box to box in the PL the ball will be at the other end by the time he gets there. Sure he can get forward AT HIS OWN PACE. It's not THAT Vieira we're signing, it's a much older slower version now more similar to Didi Hamann. He can do a job but not the way he used to.

[nickson71]

I'm completely bemused to be frank...
Can somebody please clarify why having a top class pro like Vieira added to the squad is so awful?
For a start I very much doubt he will usurp barry and NDJ for a starting place in the squad and as we know injuries and suspensions are common place at this point in the season.
Secondly this "over subscribed in centre midfield" argument I really cannot understand either! As far as I see it we only have Barry and NDJ who are true central/defensive midfielders in our entire squad - Johnson as well but he is injured and won't be back this season if ever and Ireland who isn't comfortable there, he needs to be in attack. Komps and Zabba are defenders for fucks sake, its the same people who say "why are we buying a CM when we're short of defenders" that are against Vieira coming... well there is two for you right fuckin there who you are determined to play in CDM it seems ??

As I say - bemused, well and truly

totally agree

[Beeks]

When asked to name a Premier League "Team of the Noughties" I had no hesitation in planting Patrick Vieira right at its heart - ahead of Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane - and making the Frenchman a prime contender to captain this imaginary eleven.

My selection was not based on my last two in-the-flesh glimpses of Vieira - namely an embarrassing appearance as a substitute when Liverpool beat Inter Milan in the Champions League in 2008 and a desperate 45 minutes at Manchester U***d in the same tournament a year later when Jose Mourinho mercifully put him out of his misery at half-time.

It was based on Vieira as leader of Arsenal's "Invincibles" of 2004, a player in at the start of Arsene Wenger's magical Highbury renewal and the captain whose final kick for the club - the winning penalty against Manchester U***d in the 2005 FA Cup final - gave the Gunners their last trophy.

Vieira was both enforcer and creator supreme, an iconic Arsenal figure and symbol of Wenger's transfer market genius. He had plucked the athletic and gifted midfield man from AC Milan's reserves for £3.5m in 1996.

Manchester City will be hoping for more of the Arsenal vintage than the Inter one as they prepare to sign Vieira on a short-term deal. It is a gamble by new manager Roberto Mancini, but the Eastlands riches make it one he can afford.

Vieira's recent form suggests he is a spent force at the highest level. At 33 years of age, he is unable to command regular first-team football at Inter after making only 16 appearances this season, most as substitute.

Yet his move to City is perfectly logical from his point of view as he clings to hopes of making this summer's World Cup and adding some knowhow to Raymond Domenech's flawed France side.

Vieira knows that if he shows even glimpses of his former greatness, the vulnerable Domenech may be tempted to go back to the reliability of one of his country's greatest players as he plots his campaign in South Africa.

And for City, this means they will be getting a motivated Vieira, eyeing one last shot at the greatest stage in football. Vieira is also a fiercely proud man who will not want to mar so many glorious Premier League memories by displaying only faded grandeur at Eastlands.

So for Senegalese-born Vieira, the lure of Manchester City and the Premier League is clear, in both a footballing and financial context.

For City, the reasoning is not so obvious. Mancini knows his man, having signed him for Inter from Juventus in 2006, but he has younger and more energetic midfield players at his disposal in Stephen Ireland, Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and Vincent Kompany.

Mancini made a point of lavishing praise on the combative De Jong after I watched his first game in charge of City against Stoke City on Boxing Day.

So why the need for Vieira, who has seen better days, comes expensively even on a short-term deal and who is a shadow of the player who once reigned supreme in winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups at Arsenal?

Mancini can take heart from the words of Vieira's former manager Wenger, who toyed with the idea of re-signing his former captain but ultimately stuck to the old maxin that you should never go back.

Wenger believes that Vieira can make an important contribution to the transition taking place at Eastlands.

'We have young players in his position and are not in a real need to bring players in this position," said the Gunners boss. "I was surprised it was Manchester City. I believe he will still be very effective in the Premier League because he has been injury-free for three or four months, and that is what he needed."

The other side of the coin is expressed by Vieira's former Arsenal team-mate and BBC football pundit Lee Dixon. "Patrick gets a few little niggles and hasn't got a classically fit footballer's body, where you know he's an athlete who can go on and on," said the former right-back.

"He might look like he has that body, but he hasn't. He always needed a long time to recover after games, longer than some of the older lads.

"When Patrick joined Juventus from Arsenal, the Premier League and Serie A were like chalk and cheese, and, at that stage of his career, it suited him. I know myself that, since I finished back in 2002, the game is twice as fast and ridiculously different to when I played.

"It's four-and-a-half years since he left Arsenal, he's 33 and if you are asking, 'can he play at the top level?', then I wouldn't think he'd play every week."

Vieira may, however, help Mancini address two problem areas that undermined his predecessor Mark Hughes, allowing the Italian to deliver on his promise of silverware.

When I have watched City this season, they have occasionally lacked leadership on the pitch and have almost always been vulnerable at the back. Kolo Toure, another former Arsenal star, has not been a comfortable fit as either captain or defensive lynchpin.

Vieira, at any age, is a natural leader, and his experience may enable him to offer a more effective screen to City's exposed back four, although the legs and energy are not what they were.

And City, unlike many other clubs who may have been tempted to take a punt on Vieira, are in the luxurious financial position of knowing they can afford the odd failed gamble. The Eastlands hierarchy may not like it, but they know it will amount to the smallest of drops in the giant ocean of cash available to their Abu Dhabi rulers.

Great players should always be welcomed back to the Premier League, but it is to be hoped Vieira, a midfield prizefighter happy to stand toe-to-toe with Manchester U***d's Roy Keane (and that was only in the tunnel before kick-off), has not taken on one fight too many.

As someone who put him in my team of the decade, I would hate to see more of the latter-day Vieira, floundering in vain to find the old magic and struggling to cope with younger and more athletic adversaries. I am sure this would also apply to anyone who saw him at the peak of his powers at Highbury.

If he can recapture just a little of what made him great before he left for Juventus in 2005, then Mancini's first transfer market move since arriving at Eastlands may turn out to be a coup.


I feel quite optimistic :-)

Cheers Olly

Not bad for a six month punt I reckon...never mind...I was one of the sole supporters of Bellers when he signed too ;-)