Arsene Wenger has thrown a shroud over his future at Arsenal, completely dismissing rumours of a contract extension being offered to him by the club.
There has been a lot of speculation about Wenger’s future at Arsenal, with the Frenchman’s contract with the club running out in a little more than a year’s time.
The 66 year old has failed to win a single Premier League title in the last 12 seasons, and that has drawn a lot of criticism, especially from the fans of the club.
The Times had reported on Friday that Arsenal are set to offer Wenger a new deal after the end of the current season. However, the 66 year old completely denied these rumours during his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“It is completely wrong. I don’t know where this comes from. You can treat that as an invention,” Wenger said to reporters at the press conference [via Daily Mirror]. “It is absolutely false. They could have checked with the club and it would have been denied. I think about the next game. I have full commitment for as long as I am under contract.”
Wenger also went on to emphasise that his future as a manager at Arsenal depends on how well the team performs next season.
“Of course [the results will influence my future at Arsenal]. What I focus on is to respect my contract and envisage what I will do after,” said Wenger. “I understand people are interested in that but it’s not important? I will see where the club stands at the end of my contract.”
No club for old players?
At a number of top football clubs, the players who retire from the game later go on to become managers, scouts, or administrators at the club. FC Barcelona, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich are three huge examples of this.
However, most of the greats who have played for Arsenal (like Patrick Viera, Freddie Ljungberg) are not associated with the club anymore. Thus, there is essentially nobody to carry on the philosophy laid down at the club by Arsene Wenger over the years. This could end up being very bad for the Gunners, as they might end up losing their identity of being a club that propagates attractive football.
