Arsene Wenger: I won’t choose next boss
The Frenchman, who turns 67 next week, celebrated 20 years in charge of the Gunners earlier this month but it is unclear how much longer he will remain in the role.
Wenger’s contract runs out in the summer when either manager or club could decide it is time for a change.
The England manager’s position remains a possibility for Wenger, who admitted he could be tempted by the role “if I am free one day”, but he could also sign a new deal to further extend his stay in north London.
Wenger is clear on one thing about his departure, he will not hand-pick his replacement, although he may offer his opinion if asked by the powers that be at the Emirates Stadium.
“I think it is very important in the club that everybody does what he is paid for,” he said.
“My job is to be the manager of the club and to be responsible for the style of play and the technical policy of the club. The board’s responsibility will be to choose the next manager so that is not my job.
“If they ask my opinion, I will give it in an honest way, but it will not be me to choose the next manager. I’m not in their position, I am in my position.
“The love story I have with the club is linked as well with the fact the board has always shown faith in me and I’m very grateful for that.
“No matter what happens, I will have to make my decision, the board will have to make a decision and I will respect the decision of the board anyway, even if I wish to stay on I will respect always the decision of the board — they have the responsibility to do that.”
Wenger’s passion shows no sign of abating as he goes in search for a first Premier League crown since his ‘Invincibles’ of 2003/04 won the title without losing.
He welcomes Swansea tomorrow looking for a sixth-straight victory in all competitions and remains confident in his ability to continually improve his current squad.
“I think I’m moving the club forward, and the way it is managed forward, I’m quite confident on that,” he added.
“What will decide for me to continue or not is the fact I feel people still want me to be there, the club still want me to be there and my conscience that I have done well or have not done well.
“That will be a decisive factor, have I done well? Have we achieved what I wanted to achieve with this team? That will be at stake.”
Any title hopes Arsenal had last season were damaged with a defeat in the corresponding fixture back in March, when relegation-threatened Swansea won 2-1 at the Emirates.
Wenger wants his squad to show tomorrw just how far they have come since then and prove they are bona fide title contenders this time around.
“Last year we had a very negative experience with Swansea who killed our opportunity to win the Premier League,” he said.
“We have a good opportunity to show that we have learned from that and that we are capable of dealing with these kinds of opponents.
“That’s what is at stake for us. We have to refocus because the players have been away and we’ve basically had nobody here. We have to show we can deal with the kinds of fixtures where we are the favourites.
“We were not always capable of doing that last season and we want to show that we have moved forward.”
Meanwhile, Hector Bellerin will be offered a new contract at Arsenal after Wenger dismissed speculation linking the full-back with a move away from the Emirates.
The 21-year-old has been linked with both Manchester City and former club Barcelona in recent weeks following an impressive start to the season.
But Wenger insists Bellerin will be staying put and is planning to offer him a new deal in a bid to stave off interest.
Asked if he intends to keep hold of the Spaniard, Wenger replied: “Of course. That is why I’m surprised by the speculation.
“He has nearly three years to go and we always try get the players to the level where we think they deserve to be. So we try to extend, certainly, his contract.
“For me, his long-term future is here.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
