Wenger biding time as Pires awaits comeback

ARSENE WENGER could recall Robert Pires to his starting lineup for tonight’s visit of Premiership strugglers Portsmouth, but will keep the French World Cup winner waiting a few days before revealing the longer-term plan.

Pires is out of contract in the summer and can start talking to other clubs from January 1 if Wenger can not persuade him to stay at Highbury. The future is not clear, though, as Pires was a familiar figure freezing on the substitutes' bench in Arsenal's Boxing Day win at Charlton.

Both Wenger and Pires, 32, hope to stay at Arsenal together, but the midfielder wants a two-year deal and the Arsenal manager has set a precedent of not offering players over 30 more than 12-month contracts.

Wenger is also mindful that he has many young players and does not want to go into the club's new 60,000-capacity stadium next season without enough experience in his squad.

He said: "My policy is clear up to now, but you can always have exceptions. In January we will sit together.

"Robert Pires is an important player and has done tremendously well for us and we will try to have a good chat then I will say what comes out of that.

"I cannot tell everyone what is going to be said because I want to inform him first. It would disrespectful for him to read in the newspaper what I will offer him.

"But he has always been a big part of our team. He has been in and out this season but you expect that during this period and at that age. Sometimes as well you need a breather."

Pires will be joined back in the Arsenal squad today by fellow thirty-something Dennis Bergkamp, who was rested at Charlton as a rare Jose Antonio Reyes winning goal avoided a record fourth consecutive Premiership defeat.

But Arsenal will again be without injured forward Robin Van Persie and defender Ashley Cole for the visit of Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth.

Wenger added: "They will try to defend well and catch us on the break, which a team in Portsmouth's situation will basically instinctively do. I don't think they will try to take the game to us.

"But we have to take the game to them and try to score goals, so it will be interesting and certainly another physical battle."

Meanwhile, Thierry Henry has played down talk of interest from Barcelona and says he is totally focused on Arsenal's Champions League tie with Real Madrid.

Barca have hinted they want to sign the 28-year-old striker, whose deal expires in 2007, but he says he is focused on achieving success at Arsenal.

"I'm pleased people are interested but at the moment there's nothing ongoing," he said.

"We have to concentrate on Europe before looking beyond it."

He admitted that this season was "proving difficult" following the summer sale of Patrick Vieira to Juventus but said the emergence of youngsters like van Persie was a reason to be optimistic.

"I hope these young players can reach maturity as soon as possible," he added.

Before Christmas, Barca president Joan Laporta said they would "do all we can" to sign Henry.