Soccer: Vieira vows to stick with Gunners

Patrick Vieira has underlined his commitment to Arsenal in the face of interest from Italy and insisted he will not be leaving Highbury until at least the end of his contract in 2004.

The Frenchman has again repeated his warning to the club not to lose their best players, as he believes they did last summer in selling Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars to Barcelona.

Vieira insists he was not speaking out of frustration in the wake of the club’s elimination from the Champions League or with malicious intent, but simply out of a desire to achieve further success.

And amid reported interest from several Italian clubs, he offered long-term hope to Arsenal by insisting his transfer to Highbury had been a ‘‘dream move’’, that he had developed as a player and he could stay for ‘‘years to come’’.

While the uncertain future of manager Arsene Wenger, who insists Vieira will not be sold, could affect his own position, the French international was at pains to portray a far more content figure than he did last week.

He said: "I want to make it clear to every Arsenal fan that I have no intention of going to Italy or anywhere else.

"I became a better player after coming to England under Arsene Wenger so why should I even consider leaving Arsenal?

"The people at this club know what is going to happen. It is very clear to them that I want to stay at Arsenal.

"I have a contract at Arsenal until 2004; they know my respect for the club and the fans."

Vieira added: "From time to time, players will have a moan but I don’t talk without cause. I think it’s important for the club to realise that I only want the best for them, that I am committed to them.

"If anyone thinks that because I say things it means I want to leave, then they are wrong.

"I have a contract until 2004 but who knows what will happen after that? I could be here for years to come. I know that more success is round the corner for Arsenal."

Vieira insisted none of the Highbury board or management team censured him for his outspoken comments in Valencia after Arsenal’s Champions League elimination.

"Nobody has said anything to me about what I said after the Valencia game," the midfielder added.

"I didn’t say it to upset anyone and I didn’t say it out of frustration. I still don’t think I’ve made a mistake. I think it’s very important for the best teams to keep the best players.

"I’ve never said I wanted to leave Arsenal, that I’m not happy here. Since I came here everything has been great for me.

"I won the World Cup, Euro 2000, the title. It’s been a dream move for me and I want it to continue because so many good things have happened.

"All I said was that it was a mistake to let Petit and Overmars go. What I meant was that, in Europe, you have to keep your best players.

"We have a fantastic group of players here. We’ve had some new players come in and it takes time for them to settle.

"We were very unlucky in Europe but if we finish second and win the FA Cup, it will still have been a good season for us.

"What is really important is to keep this team together. We have to ensure we keep our best players and make sure nobody is tempted to leave the club."