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Or perhaps that should read 'no point in return'. Certainly, that is ED's feeling on the news that Patrick Vieira is set for a shock move back to Arsenal.

When news filtered through last week of the Internazionale midfielder's potential return to his former stomping ground, the excitement in N5 was tangible.

Surely it couldn't happen, they said. Arsene Wenger has never gone back for a player, a policy that has served him pretty well in the past, so why would he change now?

But the deal now seems set to go through with a shock reunion ever more likely to take place. Wenger himself is certainly keen.

He said: "It is a general policy of mine not to re-sign players. But I never said that I would never do it. And Patrick is a great player."

A move for Vieira is certain to split opinion and, to be honest, ED is currently sat in the 'bad idea' camp.

History says returning to the scene of former glories is never a good idea. Remember Juergen Klinsmann (Spurs), Robbie Fowler (Liverpool) and Juninho (Middlesbrough)? Not to mention Kevin Keegan's second coming as manager at Newcastle.

Gunners fans will remember Vieira as an all-action enforcer, the heart beat of one of the most successful and attractive teams in history. His ability to cover every single blade of grass was second to none, and few would dispute he is one of the greatest players ever to grace the Highbury pitch.

But the truth - hard as it may be to swallow - is that he is no longer that player. Now 33, his legs have already started to give up on him, injuries are more frequent and he is unable dominate games as he once did.

That is noticeable even in the far more sedate environs of Serie A where he made just 35 appearances over the past two seasons - so what chance has he got of succeeding in the 100 mile-an-hour Premier League?

Arsenal may need to turn a corner - after all, they haven't won anything since Vieira left in 2005 - but looking backwards to move forward tends to be a dodgy policy, which often end in tears.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: "Certainly, we have good enough players and we'll give it a good go. We are still looking to bring in a few players to improve the squad. I still feel we need one or two players to make us stronger, we should have a good chance." Harry Redknapp rates Spurs' chances of breaking into the Big Four.

FOREIGN VIEW: Cristiano Ronaldo had to use all of his trickery to swerve one opponent he did not want to get tackled by over the weekend - his ex-girlfriend. As the Real Madrid forward left a Majorcan club in the small hours, 'stunna' Nereida Gallardo tried to say hello, only to be ushered away by security while Ron could only manage a sheepish grin (or trademark smirk, depending on which way you interpret it). An embarrassing situation all round, really.

Whilst we're on the subject of Ronaldo, it's good to hear the man who was once likened to a slave (albeit by Sepp Blatter) has finally broken free of his shackles and is enjoying the life he so richly deserves - he's just bought the most essential item in any footballer's portfolio - a seven-bedroom, 36-room villa.

COMING UP: With no live football to look forward to today (sorry, we're not covering Garforth Town v Hartlepool), why not your attention to Edgbaston, which is set for a thrilling final day of Ashes action. Follow it all from 11:00am, or whenever the weather in Birmingham is good enough to make a start possible. We'll also have the latest in our Greatest series at some point today - Manchester United are next up.

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