Confirmed: Legendary Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira to coach three Nigerian young stars at Genoa

With a statement on their official website, Italian Serie A club Genoa have announced the appointment of legendary Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira as the new coach of the Red and Blues, replacing Alberto Gilardino, who was fired on Tuesday, following a poor run of results before the international break. 

The new coach will oversee his first training session this afternoon, following the formalization of his contract at the Villa Rostan headquarters.

Vieira had been out of work since stepping down from his role at Strasbourg in July, where he had completed just one year of a three-year deal with Chelsea's sister club.

The 1998 World Cup winner and 2000 European champion with France previously coached New York City, OGC Nice, Crystal Palace and Strasbourg.

Vieira will be coaching three talented Nigerian youngsters at Genoa, namely center forward Jeff Ekhator (18), left-back Honest Ahanor (16) and striker David Ankeye (22).

Under Alberto Gilardino's management, Ekhator received eleven call-ups for first-team games and scored once, Ahanor played in two Serie A matches, totaling 86 minutes, while Ankeye featured in eleven games across all competitions.

Vieira has coached players of Nigerian descent in the past, including Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise at Crystal Palace, and Emanuel Emegha at Strasbourg. 

Ifenna Dorgu, the younger brother of cap-tied Denmark international Patrick Dorgu, is on the books of Genoa but plays for the Primavera squad

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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