Patrick Vieira

“When we talk about Arsene Wenger, I like the fact that he focuses 80 percent about the style of play he wants for his team and not taking so much consideration into the other team.”

“When I spent time in the academy, exchanging ideas with young players, being on the field, the way they were looking at me - I loved it. And I felt really comfortable at it.”

“Arsene Wenger is an ambitious manager, and he knows deep in his heart that he needs five world-class players to compete among the best in Europe.”

“We need a club where there is a structure in place, with the necessary support a young coach needs. With a beginner, you need to be patient; there may be ups and downs.”

“I think England has to change the way they are teaching football because football is changing, and the method isn't changing as much.”

“I enjoyed playing for the national team, the French national team, because I think France gave me a lot and gave my family a lot, so to wear the French national team shirt was really good, and I wore it with pride.”

“If I am the best, I am capable of saying it, but if I find the others better, I am also capable of shutting up. And staying on the bench. Full stop.”

“I'm a good listener, and I take into consideration everything people tell me, but at the same time, I believe my eyes as well as the experience I had as a player. So players who underperform? There has to be a reason why... my job is for them to perform.”

“I spent nine years at Arsenal, which makes the club really special for me.”

“It was complicated at Madrid. I was suspicious. The lack of recognition for Makelele over there scared me. I was scared it would happen to me. But I should have gone there. Today, I don't regret the career that I have had, but if I could have changed one thing, it would be that: to go to Madrid.”

“It's not easy when you lose Flamini, Hleb, Senderos, Gilberto, and Lehmann. When you lose all these players - and Flamini, for me, was the best player last year - it's really difficult to compete against Chelsea, Man United, or Liverpool.”

“I am always flattered to hear my name linked with different football clubs. That is good for your ego, but at the same time, I am happy here.”

“In England, the respect for the ex-players is something that people take seriously.”

“When, in 2005, there was an offer from Juventus, I was in the Bahamas. When I came back, Arsene said to me, 'There is an offer from Juve. What do you want to do?' I understood that he was saying, 'If you want to leave, leave.'”

“When I told Arsene Wenger I was leaving, he said to me, 'I have £25m to spend on a few players.' My answer was, 'Obviously, Mr. Wenger, you are not shopping in Harrods. That will only buy you one good player.' Now I have been proved right.”

“I wasn't ready to manage straight away. You have a few players who stopped and managed a first team straight away and were successful, and then there are the other ones who take different pathways. And I think what was important for me was to understand what I really wanted to do.”

“I didn't know anything about England or anything about Arsenal, but I knew a lot about Arsene and his reputation, so I went straight away.”

“A winning mentality does not come in one day. I'm sure that every single player at Arsenal wants to win, but it is coming to the moment when you need to play really bad games and win 1-0.”

“When you're in youth development, you have to develop players - win or come in second. But the job where I am and the reality of our industry is to win to be successful, and that is what I have to do. I have to be successful, and I want to be successful, so we'll do everything we can do to win.”

“Arsene always gives freedom to his players. To have that freedom is good, but if you can give them the freedom and respect the tactical aspect of the game, it will be even better.”