‘He could well be’: Paul Merson thinks ‘outstanding’ 45-year-old could join Arsenal as early as next season

Add as preferred source on Google

Paul Merson is known for making some outlandish and bold claims, and he’s made another in relation to Arsenal and Patrick Vieira.

Vieira has had a hugely impressive season with Crystal Palace and was in the headlines last night for some unsavoury reasons, following Palace’s loss at Everton. However, that should not and will not take away from a fantastic first season managing Palace for Vieira.

Of course, down at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has recently signed a new contract with the Gunners. But according to Merson, the Spaniard could be on borrowed time if things go wrong and Vieira continues to impress at Palace.

“Could he be the next Arsenal manager? It all depends on timing, for me. When Sir Alex Ferguson was about to retire in the early 2000s, a handful of names were reportedly in the running to replace him but none of those links came to fruition,” Merson told SportsKeeda.”

“Arsenal have given Mikel Arteta a new contract but if he starts the 2022-23 Premier League season with a series of underwhelming results and Vieira does so with a string of wins, he could well be the next Gunners boss!”

Arsenal are expected to back Arteta once again this summer. Big money could be spent, with reports today suggesting as much as £250m could be spent.

TBR’s View: Vieira To Arsenal Feels Like Gerrard To Liverpool

Mikel Arteta is doing a good job at Arsenal. Yes, he has his critics but that will always be the case.

However, there does feel to be an air of inevitability when it comes to Vieira eventually taking over at The Emirates, much like there is with Steven Gerrard with Liverpool.

Vieira has impressed so much and Merson makes a great point. Of course, it would be very rash of Arsenal to get rid of Arteta. But you can bet that Vieira is being monitored.