London, June 12: It was pretty obvious that Patrick Vieira’s name was being thrown around to replace Arsene Wenger just as a formality. But Arsenal would never jeopardize their biggest transition in history to a manager with very less proven pedigree.

Vieira has been held in high regard in footballing circles. He is always seen as a person with huge potential to become a top coach and the City footballing group bet on him hugely. They allowed him to develop as a coach within their system at Manchester City.

Instead of trying for a legacy club, Vieira has decided to continue his adventure as a manager in his homeland with ONG Nice. They confirmed that Vieira has agreed to join them along with his entire back room staff from NYCFC.

pic.twitter.com/D2NrBb63PL

— Patrick Vieira (@OfficialVieira) June 11, 2018

Nice finished eighth last season and their coach Lucien Favre is off to Dortmund to replace Peter Stoeger. This seems like a shrewd move to improve his managerial abilities as joining a high profile club at this point in time would add unnecessary pressure.

Many consider the French division to be lacking in quality, however, they continue to produce top talents which big clubs always seem to want. Nice have Jean Michel Seri who has courted interest from Manchester City and Arsenal, keeping him to push Nice further up the table or cashing in on him to buy more players will be Vieira’s immediate challenge.

Great seeing you @DenisSuarez6. So proud of what you’ve achieved since we worked together in Manchester. pic.twitter.com/a5aGnio4za

— Patrick Vieira (@OfficialVieira) June 10, 2018

He also has a far greater challenge in the shape of Mario Balotelli. Vieira has already spoken to the striker who scored 26 goals last season and has asked him to join the camp on July 2. With Marseille looking to tempt Balotelli, Vieira definitely must convince the mercurial forward that he is the main man at Nice.

Helping Nice navigate their way to the Champions league in a season or two would be his top priority. Considering the French League has been dominated by PSG, trying to win the League on a small budget would definitely be a big ask.

Le Président Jean-Pierre Rivère a présenté ce lundi le nouvel entraîneur de l'@ogcnice : Patrick #Vieira. Le 🇫🇷 champion du monde 98 a été convaincu par le projet des Aiglons 🦅

💬 Patrick @OfficialVieira « Séduit par le projet et les hommes » 👉 https://t.co/PJP2Hos31L pic.twitter.com/1KcIBbXzs6

— Ligue 1 Conforama (@Ligue1Conforama) June 11, 2018

Vieira leaves NYCFC on a good note. His three years at New York City FC hasn’t been scintillating to say the least. He has helped them finish fourth and second in the last two seasons.

Considering they are a team that is just 3-year-old, that is quite an achievement for the Frenchman. Though City footballing group would have liked him to stay at New York FC and one day take over Manchester City, it is safe to say that testing his mettle in another setting is good for both parties.