Should Arsenal have more legends working at the club?

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There continues to be plenty of ongoing speculation about potential candidates to replace Arsene Wenger when Le Prof’s time at the club comes to an end. As a result, with Gunners legend Robert Pires stating he wants to work at Arsenal, it may mean some jump to conclusions. However the Frenchman is possibly in line for a director’s role at the club, rather than to take over at the helm of first team duties.

When Robert Pires left in 2006, having played his last game as being unluckily hauled off in a Champions League final, you can’t help but feel that all those glorious years the Frenchman spent at Arsenal had come to a sudden close. One of the greatest players to play for the Gunners left very abruptly, quite possibly to the extent where you wouldn’t have necessarily expected him to keep up such a longstanding association with his former club. However ten years down the line and now retired from the game, Pires is a keen follower of the Gunners and he reportedly wants to be involved with the club once again.

Pires has worked with Arsenal in the past, proving to help out on occasion with the first team, however he hasn’t worked with the club again in an official capacity, something he would very much like to change. According to Pires’ latest statement, there may be a role as a sporting director that’s waiting to be filled at Arsenal and he wants to have his name to be signed on the dotted line for it.

Pires recently said: ‘Yes [the job], it is my objective. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I need to talk about it with the owners and Arsene Wenger. I’d love this job, I love to talk with the players. If I’m given this job one day, I can stay in contact with football, especially with Arsenal. I have a good relation with the manager, that’s important. I can work with the players, I can give advice to the young players, so we can find a good relationship between me and the players.’

It may not be the job you would’ve imagined Pires ever taking up at Arsenal, with many anticipating it would’ve been more likely for the Frenchman to take a similar path to his former teammate Freddie Ljungberg. Ljungberg is currently a coach at Arsenal, working with the Under 16’s, however many former players haven’t found it so easy to stay involved at Arsenal football club. Patrick Vieira famously criticised Wenger and co for not offering him the chance to work with Arsenal in an official capacity after professional football, with the French midfielder suggesting, like Pires, that it would be a great opportunity like no other. Vieira however is now current head coach at U.S side New York City, so I guess he cannot complain too much. Other former players however including Tony Adams haven’t had the chance to stay with Arsenal after their playing days, despite a small stint of employment back at the club, whilst Thierry Henry’s Sky Sports situation is a well documented clash at Arsenal football club.

I think it would be great to one day have all these former players back at the club in an official capacity and that’s not also forgetting Dennis Bergkamp who has repeatedly been listed as a potential candidate to replace Wenger in the past. The biggest gamble would be a lack of experience, but at the end of the day, nobody is saying that this change has to come into effect immediately.

Do you think it would be good for the team to have these Arsenal legends working with the club once again?

By AH

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