Ahead of a highly anticipated reunion with his former club, Patrick Vieira cleared the air about his involvement in Daniel Ek’s attempt to buy Arsenal.
Patrick Vieira has played down his role in Spotify founder Daniel Ek’s failed takeover bid at Arsenal ahead of his return to north London.
The 45-year-old will visit the Emirates on Monday for the first time as a Premier League manager when his Crystal Palace side lock horns with Arsenal, hoping to continue his solid start.
Before taking charge of Palace, though, Vieira was a renowned supporter of Ek’s attempted Arsenal takeover earlier in the year alongside former teammates Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.
🗣 "Going back there will be emotional."
Patrick Vieira says returning to face Arsenal as a manager will be an emotional experience but he will put it to one side to focus on getting a result pic.twitter.com/Y3TwpgKtF9
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 15, 2021
“I was just expressing myself as Patrick, ex-Arsenal football player,” explained Vieira as per the Independent.
“That comment was based on how the direction [of the club] was going.
“I was talking to somebody who had a different view and a different way of taking [forward] Arsenal. I am in a different position than a couple of months ago. So I’m not going to express myself in the same way as when I was just an ex-Arsenal football player.
“When you were looking at the situation at the time, it was clear that the Kroenke family was making the statement that the club is not for sale. Then I think everything was over. You can’t buy a football club if it is not for sale.”
Last month, Henry announced that Ek remained committed to purchasing Arsenal but conceded that it could be a long-running saga.
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