Arsene Wenger once said Arsenal had a player who was ‘just like Patrick Vieira’ but he left for free

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Patrick Vieira is one of Arsenal’s greatest-ever players.

The Frenchman joined the club back in 1996 and spent nine years at Highbury. He dominated the midfield for years and even led the Gunners to multiple trophies as the captain.

Vieira was a complete midfielder. He could do everything in the middle of the park, and there have been very few players in history who are comparable to him.

Arsene Wenger once thought that he had signed the heir to Viera’s throne at Arsenal, but that, sadly, did not work out the way he planned.

What happened to Arsene Wenger’s new Patrick Vieira at Arsenal – Abou Diaby?

Arsenal signed Abou Diaby from Auxerre in 2006.

The Frenchman was viewed as a huge talent at the time, and early signs showed that he could become a massive player for the Gunners.

Diaby’s ability on the ball, size and the way he dominated the opponents made many people compare him to Vieira, who did the same for many years in the famous red and white.

Everything was going to plan for Diaby to become the next Vieira at Arsenal, but a shocking tackle by Sunderland’s Dan Smith all but ruined his career.

Over the course of his time at Arsenal, Diaby missed over 300 games of football due to injury troubles, and he was released in 2015.

He joined Marseille on a free transfer but after playing just six games over two years, he left the club and announced his retirement from the game.

Arsenal fans still wonder what could’ve been had injuries not troubled Diaby. Wenger was convinced he had found the next Vieira.

The Frenchman told BBC Sport in 2009: “His ability to win the ball back is just like Vieira.

“He is capable of a very quick transition from defence to attack and has fantastic strength box to box, nobody can go with him.

“Diaby is a bit more offensive than Vieira but when he plays a more defensive role he is very similar.”

What Patrick Vieira said about Abou Diaby speaks volumes

Diaby was the closest player we’ve seen to Vieira.

Manchester City legend Yaya Toure had similar traits, but we are absolutely convinced that Diaby would’ve been superior if he was injury-free.

Even Vieira himself admitted that Diaby was going to be even better than him.

The Arsenal legend said in June 2024: “I used to like Diaby at Arsenal. I think he was going to be an even better player than me because I think he was more complete.

“He was more technical. He was more offensive. He had more quality in the last third. The injuries he got stopped his progression, but Diaby was a really good one.”