Wenger committed to Arsenal

Arsene Wenger has no plans to leave ‘Arsenal like a thief in the night’ and will see out the remainder of his contract with the Gunners.



Wenger has been mentioned as a possible successor to Carlo Ancelotti at Paris Saint-Germain, should the Italian make the switch to Real Madrid in the summer, but he has continually denied rumours surrounding his future.



The Frenchman still has another year to run on his current deal at the Emirates and, while he is an admirer of PSG, he insists he has not spoken to the Ligue 1 club about the possibility of taking over from Ancelotti.



“I’ve not had any contact with PSG. I won’t leave Arsenal like a thief in the night. I’ll respect my contract through to 2014,”Wenger told beIN Sport.



“I’ve followed their season. They have built their success through a kind of individual superiority and a collective one which they discovered via the Champions League. It’s been quite tough for them in Ligue 1.



“As for me, I have a contract with Arsenal, where I’ve been for 17 years, and I don’t see myself leaving the club like a thief and not respecting my contract.”

Wenger rules out PSG

Arsene Wenger has dismissed speculation linking him with Paris Saint-Germain by insisting he still loves his job at Arsenal.

Wenger has faced criticism this season after the Gunners again failed to land a trophy and his relationship with the fans has been strained by a string of dismal results.

Reports suggested the Frenchman could cut short his lengthy spell at Arsenal and link-up with Paris Saint-Germain before his contract runs out in 2014.

But Wenger has ruled out a return to his home country as he remains passionate about his job at the Emirates and hopes to even extend his reign.

When asked about his future, he said:

"I answered that question already. I respect my contracts. Football excites me...my love for this club excites me."

Questioned about a possible new deal, Wenger added:

"I want to stay if I do well, if the club considers I do well."

Arsenal will be hoping to maintain their push for a Champions League place on Saturday with a win over QPR, who were relegated last weekend, but Wenger refuses to write off the west Londoners.

"Every game gives you a different problem. Everybody is really focused and wants to do well," he said.

"All their recent games have been tight. We want to make sure this little percentage goes for us.

"It can happen that they play with less pressure and less fear [after being relegated]."

Arsenal will end their difficult campaign on a high if they finish in the top four and Wenger insists that progress has been made.

"Since January, we have become stronger and stronger. That's important going into next season," he said.

"We had to rebuild the team in the last two seasons. We have moved forward in the second part of this season considerably.

"I want this club to do well. We have gone through a sensitive period but I believe the club is in a good position for the future.

"I do my job with a lot of commitment and a lot of loyalty. I try to do as best as I can for this club."

Wenger: Cazorla should have been in team of the year

Arsene Wenger believes Santi Cazorla deserved to be included in this season’s PFA Team of the Year.



Cazorla’s debut season with the Gunners has seen the Spaniard feature in every Premier League game, netting 12 times with seven assists, but he was overlooked for the Team of the Year.



Wenger was surprised the Spanish playmaker did not feature as he feels he fully deserved to be included.



“I am sure he must have been very close to be in there. In my opinion he deserved to be there based on the consistency and quality of his performances,” Wenger told Arsenal Player.



“And then there are the number of chances and assists he created. I think he deserved to be in there.”



Wenger has been impressed with Cazorla since his arrival from Malaga last summer but admits he has been amazed at his stamina during the season.



“I’ll tell you something – if you count the number of training sessions he has missed it will be similar to that [the games he has missed],” he said.



“I can’t remember the number of sessions where he had an injury. His consistency has been remarkable for the games and the training sessions. And one might explain the other one.



“I was not aware of it [Cazorla's stamina before he signed],” added Wenger. “I did check the number of games he played but I was not aware that he would have such stamina in the Premier League.



“I expected him to miss more games because the league is very tough physically. The duels are tough. It shows he has a remarkable body but it shows he is intelligent as well because he knows where to go [on the pitch].”

Wenger calls for respect for former star

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists that the Gunners will respect former player Robin van Persie on his return to the Emirates on Sunday.



The Dutchman left the club last season after eight years service at the club, and it was his hat-trick on Monday night that saw Manchester United crowned English league champions for the 20th time.



Monday’s achievement means that Arsenal will clap United onto the pitch before the game in a guard of honour, which is likely to anger the fans, who are still bitter over the van Persie affair.



Poznan



Rumours circulating on Twitter last night suggested that Arsenal fans will do a Manchester City style ‘Poznan’ when United walk onto to the pitch. Take a look at the video below which shows Arsenal imitating the Poznan last year in a 1-0 victory over Man City.



Wenger however has stated that the £24million man will not be disrespected by his former employees.

“We will respect the players that have played for us a long time as we always have done and treat them well before and after the game,” Wenger said, as reported by The Independent.



“As a champion or not as a champion it is exactly the same. What I want is for us to have a good game and to beat them, it doesn’t matter what kind of status they come with.”

Arsenal must be careful not to be distracted by the return of the Flying Dutchman, as a victory is needed to keep themselves in the top four.



Focus

“Their players are of the highest level, you can’t just focus on one player because their team is full of players who can create and score,” Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal said, as reported by the newspaper.



“We must be on our guard and be aware of certain key players, like Robin, who has scored a sack of goals this year and is playing well. He is one of their main threats."

Wenger's Chelsea fears

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted he is "afraid" of Chelsea's potential summer spending spree in the transfer market under a new manager.



Chelsea are expected to appoint a new manager at the end of the season with interim boss Rafa Benitez unlikely to stay on at Stamford Bridge and Blues owner Roman Abramovich is likely to give his new manager substantial funds to bolster the squad.



Wenger is expecting big moves from Chelsea in the transfer market with the likes of Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao strongly linked with a transfer and the Gunners chief fears how strong their London rivals could become with more additions in the summer



"I'm afraid of what Chelsea can do in the summer," the Frenchman told Eurosport.



"We have to be prepared for them to be one of the biggest movers in terms of investment once the window opens.



"Even though they already have a great base to their squad, notably their young players such as Oscar, Juan Mata, Ramires and Eden Hazard, I think they will be busy during the transfer window.



"We've heard a lot of talk about Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao. Some people say it's already a done deal, but I've heard nothing."



Wenger also admitted Jose Mourinho would be a good choice to return to the Chelsea managerial hot seat even though he feels Benitez has done a good job at Stamford Bridge.



"I think Chelsea currently have a great coach in Rafa Benitez, but if they part ways at the end of season, of course Jose Mourinho would be a good solution for Chelsea," added Wenger.



"Mourinho is one of the best in the world. But I consider Benitez to be doing a good job at Stamford Bridge."

Podolski linked with Arsenal exit

Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski feels as though he might be forced out of the club by Arsene Wenger, The Sun has revealed.



The Germany international joined the Gunners in a €12 million deal from Koln last summer and he enjoyed a bright start to his career at the Emirates.



However, he was recently relegated to the bench by Arsene Wenger and he now fears for his Arsenal future.



“Lukas is very happy at Arsenal, he loves the fans and enjoys living in London but he is increasingly worried that Wenger may have a problem with him,” a source close to the player told The Sun.



“He is frustrated at not playing for such a long time. He is an experienced player and he wants to play football.”



Lukas Podolski has managed to justify his price tag by scoring 8 goals and setting up another 9 in 26 Premier League appearances, but it appears that he is no longer considered an important member of the side.



The 27-year-old could be sold in the summer as Arsene Wenger prepares a major squad overhaul, with Atletico Madrid and Juventus reportedly keen.



Podolski has in turn lost his starting place in the national team as well, as he has yet to start a match in the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Nasri: 'Stan Kroenke forced Wenger to sell me'

Samir Nasri has insisted that Arsene Wenger was forced to sanction his transfer to Manchester City by Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke.

Nasri joined Roberto Mancini's side in 2011 for a fee of £24m, just weeks after Cesc Fabregas left the Emirates Stadium for Barcelona.



The French midfielder has revealed that Wenger had no say in his sale and that he was forced to leave for sporting reasons in search of silverware.



He told beIN Sport: "Wenger told me that if Cesc left, I would stay but Kroenke wanted the money.



"The coach told me we'll only take Gervinho. Cesc was already gone, I had only one year left so I decided to leave.



"I do not have regrets. I do not regret joining Manchester City. I want to play and perform. My departure from Arsenal was purely for sporting reasons."



The 25-year-old has been a peripheral figure at the Etihad Stadium this season, with Mancini admitting last weekend that the playmaker's inconsistent form has left him frustrated.