WENGER COY ON LONG-TERM FUTURE
Arsene Wenger has refused to look beyond the end of his Arsenal contract in response to reports he could be considering his future at the club following the shock departure of vice-chairman David Dein.
Dein brought Wenger to the club in September, 1996 and, in his first press conference since the loss of someone he called "a man of class and intelligence", Wenger stated: "I said I committed to the club and to the contract to 2008.
"I will try to give my best as long as I am here. I have one-and-a-half years [on my] contract - therefore I always feel we have the interest of our fans in mind.
"I will always give my best for the club and I am committed to do that."
He added: "I do not want to speak about beyond my contract because I think it is important to concentrate on the short term and to the end of the season."
Wenger, who insisted "at a big club you have to deal with all kinds of adversity", claimed Dein had "contributed hugely to the success of this club and I think English football".
He told a press conference televised live by Sky Sports News: "It is a disappointment and a big loss. David always at heart had the best interest of the club.
"Even if I am very sad it is important to keep the best interest of the club in mind.
"We have many young players and I want to develop this team and go as high up as we can.
"I don't want speculation; you could talk about the consequences a lot."
Wenger admitted he was "confident" the Arsenal board were listening to him following Dein's departure.
"Yes, I am confident. The history of this club makes me think they have trusted David and myself to make decisions on important issues. We had a great partnership but now we have to focus on tomorrow."
Asked if he had turned his thoughts towards a new football director coming in, the Frenchman added: "I have to think about that problem and what is the best solution. I will need some help but I do not really know at the moment.
"It is important the stability is maintained and it will be."
The involvement of billionaire Stan Kroenke is understood to be the reason behind Dein's split with the rest of the Arsenal board - he was in favour of the American taking on a major role at the club, while the other directors were against such a move. More
Dein brought Wenger to the club in September, 1996 and, in his first press conference since the loss of someone he called "a man of class and intelligence", Wenger stated: "I said I committed to the club and to the contract to 2008.
"I will try to give my best as long as I am here. I have one-and-a-half years [on my] contract - therefore I always feel we have the interest of our fans in mind.
"I will always give my best for the club and I am committed to do that."
He added: "I do not want to speak about beyond my contract because I think it is important to concentrate on the short term and to the end of the season."
Wenger, who insisted "at a big club you have to deal with all kinds of adversity", claimed Dein had "contributed hugely to the success of this club and I think English football".
He told a press conference televised live by Sky Sports News: "It is a disappointment and a big loss. David always at heart had the best interest of the club.
"Even if I am very sad it is important to keep the best interest of the club in mind.
"We have many young players and I want to develop this team and go as high up as we can.
"I don't want speculation; you could talk about the consequences a lot."
Wenger admitted he was "confident" the Arsenal board were listening to him following Dein's departure.
"Yes, I am confident. The history of this club makes me think they have trusted David and myself to make decisions on important issues. We had a great partnership but now we have to focus on tomorrow."
Asked if he had turned his thoughts towards a new football director coming in, the Frenchman added: "I have to think about that problem and what is the best solution. I will need some help but I do not really know at the moment.
"It is important the stability is maintained and it will be."
The involvement of billionaire Stan Kroenke is understood to be the reason behind Dein's split with the rest of the Arsenal board - he was in favour of the American taking on a major role at the club, while the other directors were against such a move. More
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