Newcastle United opinion: The Magpies should look to hire Patrick Vieira
According to reports in the Daily Express, the Magpies are searching hard to find the ideal replacement for Rafa Benitez. The Spanish tactician’s contract with the club expired this summer and no new extension was agreed between the club and the board.
Benitez has moved on and is now the manager of Chinese Super League club, Dalian Yifang. One of the targets that’s being considered to replace him is former Arsenal Captain, Patrick Vieira. The former French international midfielder is currently the manager of OGC Nice and has been in management since 2016.
This isn’t the first time that he’s been approached by the Magpies, having gone through the same in 2015 but nothing materializing due to differences in policies at the time.
The Frenchman was a 3-time Premier League winner during his time at Arsenal under Arsène Wenger and was a really intimidating presence on the pitch and a leader outside of it.
As stated earlier, he started his management career in 2016 with MLS side, New York City FC and after a 2 year period in the United States, moved back to his native France last season and finished the season with a respectable 7th place finish. This was an improvement by one place which suggests that Vieira is a very capable manager.
However, he has stated in the report that he’d like to work with OGC Nice a little longer as he’s in the middle of a very exciting project.
Regardless, Vieira must know that the Premier League is a better competition to compete in, with better managers and better teams fighting with a lot of high stakes. St. James’ Park is a fantastic stadium to play in and manage in and can be an absolute fortress when the place is rocking.
However important the OGC Nice project might be, there will be questions about his management unless he takes a bigger job and tests himself out against the very best.
Newcastle have finished in 10th and 13th place in the last two seasons and if they manage another season with a similar position, they’ll have done very well.
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Conclusion
Patrick Vieira would get the Toons buzzing once again, even though that may be short-lived.
The Magpies need some inspiration after receiving the news of Benitezs’ departure and there aren’t many people in football quite as inspiring as Patrick Vieira. This would be a move that will be a reality check for all parties involved.