Robert Pires lined up in attack with some Arsenal legends, but one name in his dream XI may come as a surprise.
Pires left Arsenal in 2006 as a two-time Premier League winner, a three-time FA Cup winner and of course, an Invincible.
The winger was one of the key elements of Arsene Wenger’s perfect 2003/04 campaign, where he contributed to 23 Premier League goals.
Though the reasons behind Pires’ Arsenal exit were questionable, the Frenchman will forever be remembered in North London, leaving behind a strong legacy.
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Robert Pires wanted to see Francis Coquelin play with Patrick Vieira
Pires was an exceptional player and had the best brought out of him by those on his side.
In the Invincibles season, the winger lined up with Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry for attacking support, a partnership that dreams are made of.
During a 2015 interview with the Guardian, Pires unsurprisingly named the duo in his dream Arsenal XI, compiled of a mix of stars past and, at the time, present.
One pick will perhaps come as a surprise, as joining Patrick Vieira and Santi Cazorla in midfield was Francis Coquelin, who became a first-team favourite in 2014, six years after he signed.
Pires couldn’t exclude Coquelin from his dream XI in 2015, as he explained why he had so much ‘love’ for the midfielder.
“I love this guy because he has very good spirit and he loves fighting,” Pires said.
“He’s French but he has an English mentality, and in this position you need that. In my time we had Ray Parlour, and Coquelin is the same. He’s a very good balance between defence and attack. He is important for the team.”
Pires went on to prompt readers to envisage how a midfield partnership of Vieira and Coquelin would look.
“Imagine for 10 seconds Vieira and Coquelin together in midfield, in this moment or 10 years ago. That would be fantastic.”
Arsene Wenger had to let Coquelin go
Now at FC Nantes, Coquelin almost made a shock return to England as he was linked to Leeds United, but a move never happened.
Though Coquelin’s association with Arsenal covered almost ten years, the Frenchman’s time as a crucial first-team member was short but sweet.
The midfield enforcer was replaced in Wenger’s squad by Granit Xhaka, which ultimately paved the way for his exit.
Coquelin joined Valencia for £12m in January 2018, as Wenger revealed he had to ‘let him go’ due to the player’s concern over his lack of minutes.
“He goes to Valencia because he didn’t get enough games with us this season, and he had an opportunity. I let him go,” Wenger said.
The no-nonsense defensive midfielder had a presence that was needed so desperately at the time of his resurgence, and after Wenger sought inspiration from his style, he was swiftly replaced.
It was a short but a statement time as a starter at Arsenal for Coquelin, who left his mark at the Emirates.
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