Which Arsenal favourite would you like to see back at the club in a coaching role?

In a money driven world players come and go from clubs often without forming any kind of bond and the concept of loyalty is regularly tossed aside for lucrative contracts elsewhere. Yet some players form a relationship with the fans and the club itself that goes deeper. It’s these players who are linked constantly with returning to their former clubs in some kind of coaching role when they retire. The Gunners are no different in that respect. In recent times Patrick Viera, Martin Keown, Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams have all been linked with a return to Arsenal in a variety of different roles.

Indeed, all but Tony Adams have hinted that they would like to join Arsenal in a coaching capacity at some stage in their careers. Heck, even Thierry Henry has suggested that he’d like to get involved when he retires from playing professional football.

My personal feeling is that Viera would make an excellent coach – given time. It takes time to make the transition from player to coach and though I’d like to see him back at Arsenal in the future, I don’t expect anything to happen on that front in the near future. There’s been a lot of talk about Arsenal needing a coach who can instil some ‘toughness’ into their players. One man who encapsulates the desire to win and a combative nature is Patrick Viera.

Another man who could add some steel to Arsenal’s squad is Martin Keown. He had a role to play in coaching Arsenal’s defence in the run up to the 2006 Champion’s League final. How much of a hand he had in ensuring that Arsenal only conceded two goals in the 12 matches before the final is unclear, but the Gunner’s could certainly do with adopting the same mentality.

Tony Adams returning to Arsenal is a whole different matter. He’s made it clear that he doesn’t want a ‘background job’ and that he’d want to be as hands-on as possible. I’d say that he has pretty high aspirations; aspirations that might not be possible whilst Arsene Wenger remains in charge. Does he have his eye on taking the Arsenal manager job when Wenger steps down? If so he’s got some way to go in terms of proving himself capable. His current success-ratio doesn’t seem to suggest that he’s the right man for the job.

Personally, I’d be most excited to see Dennis Bergkamp return to Arsenal in a coaching role – even though it’s clear that it’s the defence that most needs shoring up. He proved himself to be a fairly decent footballer over the years and will have plenty to teach the youngsters coming through the club. He’s also a true professional and remains loyal to the club – Arsenal simply can’t afford to let this man slip through their fingers.

But enough waffle. Who would you like to see return to Arsenal?

[poll id=”10″]

ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.

To have a peak at the top SEVEN available FREE TRANSFERS this summer, click here.

Or to have a look at 10 ways a football lover can spend this summer, click here!