Wenger wouldn't mind another rival

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insisted he would relish another rival in his annual mind-games battle with Alex Ferguson if the combative Jose Mourinho is appointed as Chelsea coach.

Mourinho clashed swords with Ferguson earlier this season ahead of their tie in the last 16 of the Champions League, in which the Porto boss came out on top both on and off the pitch.

Wenger has, meanwhile, calmed down his verbal jousting with Ferguson over recent months as he refused to be distracted from his goal of winning the title.

Given that Claudio Ranieri has entirely steered clear of being drawn into any mind games, however, Mourinho’s anticipated arrival at Stamford Bridge this summer could nevertheless spice up the title race next season.

That is a prospect which the Arsenal boss is ready to meet head on as he remarked casually: “It would be a little more [mind games]. It would be funny next season!”

Wenger does not know Mourinho too well, although he respects his achievements in taking Porto to the 2003 UEFA Cup and domestic title, as well as the Champions League final against Didier Deschamps’ Monaco side.

“I know Deschamps well and I rate him extremely highly as one of the promising future managerial talents in France,” added Wenger.

“I don’t know Mourinho as well but his record is tremendous for such a short time as the career of a manager is often about 20 years.”

While Chelsea are bracing themselves for a summer of frenzied transfer activity and Manchester United seem set to overhaul their squad as well, Arsenal are looking to retain the status quo at Highbury.

Having signed Jose Reyes during the January transfer window, they snapped up Robin van Persie ahead of next season and Wenger is now looking for one, at most two, new players.

“We hope that we can keep our team together but it is not done yet. I am confident we will achieve that though because we are hungry and feel there is more in our team,” he said.

Martin Keown, Sylvain Wiltord and Kanu are all expected to leave Highbury at the end of their contracts, even if Dennis Bergkamp may be offered a final one-year deal.

The Dutchman could return to the side for tomorrow’s game at Fulham as Arsenal seek to extend their unbeaten league run from the start of the season to an incredible 37 games.

That would leave them just one short of an entire unbeaten campaign, with Leicester visiting Highbury on the final day of the season, and Wenger admitted he had never dreamed it could be possible.

He added: “We don’t want to lose a game now but football is football. You can be in front of a marathon and then someone can catch you with just 500 yards to go. It’s part of it.

“What we have done until now, in winning the title without losing a game, is tremendous. But at least we want to give it our best shot until the end.”

Robert Pires should return to the side after being rested from the midweek draw at Portsmouth, but Wiltord, Gilberto Silva, Pascal Cygan and Edu are still injured.