Wenger snubs Real to enjoy the Gunners getting better

ARSENE WENGER insisted he would not swap Highbury for the Bernabeu as he warned the Barclaycard Premiership that the best of his record-chasing Arsenal side was yet to come.

Wenger and Thierry Henry were yesterday reported in the Spanish media to be Real Madrid’s top summer targets.

However, the Arsenal boss believes there is no reason for either of them to leave Highbury to seek success as the Gunners chase the treble.

Wenger said: “That doesn’t change my determination to stay here, nor does it change Thierry’s.

“The challenge is to achieve as much as you can and I feel that we have built a team here with a good opportunity to do well.

“We are in the period of the season where commitment towards the club is more important than ever.

“We have a young team with a future, not a team in their final year just trying to get the old horses over the line, so there is more potential to come. I think we can still improve.”

While the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals are still to come, the Gunners can equal the top-flight record of going 29 games unbeaten since the start of the season by avoiding defeat at home to Bolton today.

That would bring them level with Don Revie’s Leeds side, who lost their 30th game of the 1973-74 season to Stoke after being 2-0 up, as well as the Liverpool team of 1987-88, who were eventually beaten by Everton 1-0.

Wenger insisted: “We haven’t even spoken about it. We just have a massive game coming up against Bolton and we want to show our hunger. We just want to keep going and the consequence is that you can beat records.

“We want to do as well as we can and we want to share the football we play with as many people as possible, but we live in a bubble on a daily basis and we just play our games.”

While Arsenal lead the Premiership by nine points from Chelsea, with Manchester United three points further back, Wenger still refuses to rule either of his main rivals out of the title race yet.

“It is mathematically possible to lose the lead but we must just keep our attitude right,” he said.

“United were ahead of us eight games ago, so that’s why we’re on our toes. The criticism they’re getting is a bit over the top as, when you work in this job, you know how precarious things are.”

This time last season, Wenger was feeling the pressure, with Arsenal overhauled by United in the run-in, with a particularly costly draw at Bolton despite having led 2-0 with 16 minutes left.

Now, he is positively enjoying his team’s displays as they set the pace in the Premiership.

“You always have a slight tension but what you want is to get the attitude of your team right and then you can accept anything. I enjoy watching our games now,” he revealed.

“Our flattest game of last season was at Blackburn and the final blow was at Bolton.

“We’ve put one thing right last week by defeating Blackburn so now we have an opportunity to put the other thing right.”