Patrick Vieira has opened up on speculation that he was in line to become the next Arsenal head coach.
The Gunners parted company with Unai Emery at the end of November after 18 months in charge and the likes of Brendan Rodgers, Max Allegri and Mauricio Pochettino among others were all been tipped as potential replacements.
In the end, a former club captain returned to the Emirates Stadium.
But instead of Vieira it was Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard is settling in well to his new role, but French publication Nice-Matin claimed that Vieira was viewed by the Arsenal board as the top candidate to replace Emery
And it wasn't the first time the Frenchman - who is currently in charge of Ligue 1 outfit Nice - had been tipped to return to north London.
Vieira told the Daily Mail that he held talks with the Gunners following Arsene Wenger's departure in the summer of 2018, but didn't reveal whether he'd been offered the job.
"It was just a conversation about my situation, where I am, what is the next step," he said. "Nothing came of it."
However, amid rumours that he was in line to succeed Emery prior to Arteta's appointment, Vieira has taken the opportunity to set the record straight.
"No, but there is no place in my mind to have those kind of conversations," he responded when asked if he had spoken to the club after Emery's sacking. "My focus is here. This project suits who I am and what I want to achieve.
"This rumour about the Arsenal job is not something that bothered me. I don't know what the future holds but that is why I don't want to put my brain somewhere that doesn't exist.
"This club knows I want to stay and I know they want me to stay, 100 per cent."
In June 2018, Vieira was appointed as the manager of Nice, and he enjoyed a rather successful debut season at the helm, leading them to a seventh place finish in Ligue 1.
This season, Nice sit 11th in the table with 28 points from 20 games.
Vieira's side are next in action tonight (Friday) as they welcome third-placed Rennes to Allianz Riviera.
