Where did the idea to contact Patrick Vieira come from?

We were looking for a particular profile. Julien (Fournier) mentioned Patrick Vieira’s name, when talking about a coach who likes to play good football and is used to working with youngsters, thanks to his time looking after them at Manchester City.

He has a very interesting experience of the highest level as a player, and he has now been coaching for a number of years. We think he is capable of taking our players forward. We remember the winner that he was on the pitch, and we hope he will be able to bring that culture here. 

What pleased you about the conversations you had with him?

When we went to meet with him, I was quickly won over by him as a man and the way he spoke. We were looking for someone that we could be on a level with on the personal side of things. He was implicated in the discussions and huge amounts of humility pour out when he speaks. 

He meets perfectly the profile that the club needs today. In the past, I had the same feeling the first time I met Claude (Puel). He matched what we were looking for at that moment in time. The club has changed since, we have evolved. Lucien (Favre) then brought his influence and we thank him too. Arriving at this stage in our project, you need to refocus on certain objectives, especially the youngsters. And I quickly was convinced that Patrick was the man we needed. 

When Julien returned to New York, they were able to go into greater detail, to look in-depth. And what came out of it reassured our first impression.  

Whilst it had been said that an announcement in the days that followed the match against Lyon could be on the cards, it actually took a bit longer to finalise. What areas needed to be ironed out?  

He was the coach of a side in the middle of their season. A short break has just started in the US. It was maybe the best moment. We were all convinced. He had to come to an agreement with New York City. At a certain moment in time, his determination made the difference. We set him just one objective: to do the best possible! We will be with him. It’s a team effort. The objective is still the same: to continue to grow the club.

L.O.

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