Arsene Wenger says he will not retire this summer, even if it means managing a club other than Arsenal.
With his deal up in the summer, the man, for better or for worse, many consider synonymous with Arsenal has confirmed that he will NOT be retiring next season.
After a humiliating 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich in Germany for the first leg of the two sides’ Champions League tie, many fans and pundits alike have begun to question Arsene Wengers desire to carry on after his current deal runs out.
The Frenchman’s response to this during a press conference, was flat out denial.
“At the moment we have other priorities and my future is not important, it’s Arsenal Football Club, the future of our team and what we can achieve until the end of the season that is important,” he said.
“No matter what happens I will manage next season – here or somewhere else. That’s absolutely for sure.
“I hate to lose games and I want to do well for this club. You don’t stay somewhere for 20 years, walk out of a defeat like that and whistle. It’s difficult to take but I have the strength to respond.”
Wenger did not deny telling German media this week he will make a decision in “March or April” but pressed on when exactly he said:
“If I said ‘March or April’ it is because I didn’t know.”
And asked for the Arsenal board’s view on his position he said: “I don’t want to come back on that.”
“What is important is that the club makes the right decisions for the future. I did not work here for 20 years not to care about this club because I had many opportunities to go somewhere else.
“I care about the club and its future and it’s very important the club is always in safe hands, with me or someone else.”
“Even if I go Arsenal won’t win every single game in future,” he said. “You have to accept that, as much as it hurts to lose games.
“Before I arrived Arsenal had played less elite European games than I had managed in my career. It’s not like before I arrived Arsenal had won five European Cups – they had played 10 games in the history of the club. You have to take it in perspective.
“As long as you don’t win absolutely everything there’s always something wrong. You have to accept that. On the other hand in the last 20 years only three clubs managed to play every year in the Champions League – Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. If not everything is perfect, not all is wrong.”
