Arsene Wenger says he wants to continue at Arsenal

Arsene Wenger of Arsenal walks pitchside ahead of the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park

Arsene Wenger is insistent that he’ll remain at Arsenal for the foreseeable future, despite his reluctance to sign a contract extension that’s been on the table since October.

Goal reports that Arsenal have made contact with Louis van Gaal amid growing concerns about Wenger’s future. However the ex-Bayern Munich coach is thought to be inline to take the vacant managerial post at Manchester United.

Speaking to beINSport, Wenger reiterated his desire to stay at Arsenal: “Look, I have said that many times already, I have given my word to this club and that I want to continue where I am.”

When prompted to elaborate on that statement, he said, “That means to stay.”

The Frenchman also spoke on the ephemeral lifespan of Premier League coaches and the way United handled the sacking of David Moyes.

“If you want quality people in any area, you should give them the time to develop and become actually good,” he told L’Equipe.

“Or else, quality people will not come in the future. The average life expectancy of a coach in the Premier League is eleven months. It’s very unstable.”

“It is very surprising. In this kind of situations, you want the coach to be the first to know. Eyes in the eyes; like we are accustomed to,” he added.

“It seems that it did not happen that way. Apart from the fact that he was fired, what I regret the most is that it happened despite his great experience in Premier League. He showed quality, we would have loved to see him stay longer.”