Arsenal legends Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira have been linked with a move to Bournemouth who needs to find a new permanent manager.
Both ex-players have started their managerial careers with different degrees of success and they will probably jump at the chance of managing in England.
Henry is currently engaged with CF Montreal while Nice fired Vieira after a poor start to this season.
Bournemouth’s goal is to get a manager that can get them back to the Premier League sooner than later and Martin Keown thinks Vieira probably has the better experience when compared to Henry.
He, however, adds that Henry is a strong character who is very demanding and knows what he wants.
Ultimately, he expects the Cherries to pick whoever suits them based on the criteria that they have set.
He said on TalkSPORT: “How do you choose between those two? If you look at their records you might think Vieira is better from his time at Nice compared to Henry at Monaco.
“But if they’ve seen something in Henry… he’s a very strong character, a really strong personality. Vieira is slightly softer in his approach, so it really depends what they’re looking for.
“They both made it very clear that’s what they wanted to do. They’ve shown already that they love the game enough, they’re committed years to this already and they’re just waiting for the right opportunity to come along.
“It does resonate, the fact they’re big superstars in the game and they want this job. Even Jonathan Woodgate going there is a big name, by the way.
“Henry is a very demanding personality, and that may be something that’s a problem when you become a manager, so he’s got to adjust.
“He needs to just try and work out his style of management. He’s been an assistant manager with Roberto Martinez for Belgium for a long time and he’s been around very good players, and when you’ve been a super good player yourself, you’ve got to be a little more patient with the people around you, that might be something he needs to do.
“But if Henry gets this, something special can happen.
“That’s the situation for Bournemouth, it’s tantalising. They’ve got these very talented individuals, can they become great managers? That’s what they’ve got to decide upon.
“Henry is a standout individual, he’s super bright, super intelligent. It only took about ten days for him to learn to speak English when he came to Arsenal. It was remarkable.
“Whatever you gave him and put in front of him, he would pick the bones out of it, and he has great footballing intelligence. He came to England as a winger, don’t forget, and ended up being a fantastic centre-forward.”
Both players have been linked with a future role at Arsenal, and thriving at Bournemouth could make that possible in the nearest future.
Keown hit the nail on the head, namely impatience or to put it his way Henry is demanding like many of his ilk which is why they were that successful. I doubt Henry is cut from similar cloth Wenger or Fergie were. Coaching/managing demands more understanding and teaching skills than topnotch players posses. Was not surprised he did’nt last in Monaco. I recall once a question Petit raised about Henry: does he have patience? and you realise that techniques and character come second in management. Maybe Vieira would be more suitable.
Not every former players can cut it…
some make good managers
some make good coach/trainers
some make good scouts
some are better in coaching/managing youth than seniors
Everyone is different
Henry is probably better suited at coaching than managing
more hands on the pitch
I think Johnathan woodgate should get the job
Vieira all day long. Henry is a liability and has 0 soft skills. We all seen his behaviour at Monaco as well as Montreal. That’s no way to treat human beings. I’m surprised he even has a job to begin with.