Friday, 7th June, 2013
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has poured cold water over any Paris Saint-Germain hopes of taking manager Arsene Wenger to France, by announcing that a new long-term deal is imminent.
Wenger was one of the names on PSG’s list to replace want-away manager Carlo Ancelotti, but the Gunners boss had himself claimed there had been no contact whatsoever with the Ligue 1 champions.
Wenger’s current contract at Arsenal is set to expire next year, and while no actual extension has been agreed, Gazidis is confident the Frenchman remains committed to the London club’s cause.
He was quoted on the BBC as saying: "We have got a fantastic manager. We hope that he wants to do what he is doing for the long term. I believe he does.
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"Quietly, and at the right time, I think we will make an announcement on [a new deal] when things are put in place."
Wenger has failed to win a trophy for the Emirates cabinet since the 2005 FA Cup, but the club have consistently been in the Champions League despite the rise of Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
There have been several calls for his exit this season, especially after their league cup exit to League Two side Bradford City and the FA Cup defeat to Blackburn Rovers.
But a fourth-placed finish has staved off the axe for now, and Gazidis maintains things are looking up for the manager, who once led the club through an entire season unbeaten.
He added: "We have a great relationship and [Wenger] has a great relationship with the board as well. We have got a lot of confidence in Arsene that he is the right person to take the club forward."
And the ambitions will be expected sooner rather than later as Gazidis has promised the Gunners are ready to spend big, but has put the impetus on Wenger rather than media hype on what players will arrive.
He said: "Of course we could [spend big]. We could do more than that. This year we are beginning to see something we have been planning for some time – the escalation in our financial firepower.
"We also have new revenue streams coming on board and all of these things mean we can do some things which would excite you, but what excites Arsene isn’t necessarily what excites you.
"He is pretty blind to price tags, he looks at what he sees with his eyes and makes judgements based on that, not on reputations and prices."
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