Signed on an initial six month deal from Inter, Vieira is earning anything between £100,000 and £130,000 a week, depending on who you listen to - a vast amount of money for a player that has seen his best days.

It could be argued that Roberto Mancini, the Manchester City manager, has brought him to Eastlands to have a figure of experience in the dressing room - to push the team to a Champions League place by the end of May.

If paying Vieira upwards of £2m is worth that, then that is City's problem. It's not like they don't have the 'spare change'.

Vieira's signing, though, smacks of an impulse purchase. It reminds me of when Roman Abramovich arrived at Stamford Bridge and, with the help of both Claudio Ranieri and Jose Mourinho, bought just about any player he wanted - Majeta Kezman and Shaun Wright-Phillips to name but two.

But at least most players were in their early twenties. Conversely there would be the 'luxury' purchase of Andriy Shevchenko, and more recently the Portuguese Deco.

Both players came with superb reputations, and both failed miserably for reasons that we won't go into here.

So in short, Vieira, despite his experience, is nothing but a 'luxury' buy for City. Surely the former World Cup winner would have been swayed back to Arsene Wenger's den if City had not come in with such ludicrious but tempting wages?

I would be very surprised if Vieira is offered the one-year extension which was drafted in when he signed for six months in January. Instead, expect a switch to Paris Saint Germain where Vieria will end his career, perhaps alongside Thierry Henry.

But let's remember these two delighful, wonderful and supremely gifted footballers for what they brought to Arsenal and the Premier League.

Because right now, Vieira is tarnishing that reputation with every game played at Eastlands.