Patrick Vieira is the new football manager of Crystal Palace. The Premier League club announced his appointment today, July 4, 2021.
The Arsenal football legend replaced Roy Hodgson who left the club at the end of the 2020-2021 season. He is expected to lead Crystal Palace for three seasons from the 2021-2022 season.
When the news broke that the 45-year-old French tactician has been named the coach of the club, most fans of the club expressed eagerness to see what the coach would bring to the Premier League side.
Recall that the club finished 14th on the league table in the just concluded 2020-2021 season and the fans are expecting that Vieira who captained Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ when they won the 2003-2004 Premier League title without losing a game, would push the club closer to the top four.
After Crystal Palace confirmed the Frenchman as their new manager, the former Arsenal’s star told the club’s official website how excited he is about the ambitious plans the club’s board has.
He said: “I am really excited to have this opportunity to return to the Premier League, and manage this great football club, as we begin a new chapter together.
“It is a project that is appealing to me, having spoken a lot with the chairman and sporting director about their ambition and plans for the whole club, including the academy.
“The club has fantastic foundations in place after many years in the Premier League, and I hope we can make further improvements and continue to drive the club forward.
“I am also very excited to experience the atmosphere the club’s supporters make at Selhurst Park and away from home too, and I know just how important that can be for the team.”
Proud and excited to be part of this new journey. I want to thank the @CPFC board for their trust & thank the fans for the amount of support I’ve been getting for the past few days. I can’t wait to see you there, back where it all started @premierleague. Come on you Eagles 🦅❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/fa8BO6LZgW
— Patrick Vieira (@OfficialVieira) July 4, 2021
After retiring from professional football in 2011, Patrick Vieira went into coaching starting from Manchester United football academy. Afterward, he traveled to America and spent over two years of his managerial career at a Major League Soccer club, New York City.
In 2018, Vieira returned to Europe where he became the coach of a French Ligue 1 side, Nice between 2018 and 2020. He was sacked due to a poor run of games.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2000 UEFA European Championship winner is expected to use Crystal Palace to improve on his managerial profile as he pursues a dream of being an Arsenal manager in the future.
The boss’ story so far 💪#CPFC | https://t.co/utMcYSDkhb pic.twitter.com/NRNfuzDd4G
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) July 4, 2021
