Prior to Arsenal's embarrassing 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League round of 16, there was already much talk about the future of manager Arsene Wenger. Arsenal was out of contention for the premier league crown and had already been eliminated from the FA Cup by a second division team. Despite the tough season, Wenger asserts that he is not going anywhere.
When asked if he had considered leaving the team and giving up after this season Wenger replied "Never, not one second." He added, "I have a contract until the end of 2014 and at the moment we are on a short-term plan. I have been here for a long time and have to consider what I want to do. That will be decided in 2014, not before."
With this season seemingly lost, Wenger has set his sights on returning to the Champions league next season; that would require a fourth place finish in the premier league this season. Heading into Saturday's bout with Aston Villa, the team sits in fifth place. With 44 points, Arsenal is four points behind fourth place Tottenham Hotspur and five behind third place Chelsea. Second place Manchester City holds a nine point edge over the Gunners.
"We are in a position where we cannot afford to drop points. We will go into the game with a huge desire to get out the disappointments we have had," said Wenger. "Apart from Manchester United, for all the other positions, I feel it's very open. It's just down to us now to continue to be consistent like we have been. We have to focus on continuing to get the points."
UK Publication The Daily Mail purports that Wenger has been contacted by former French President Nicholas Sarkozy about moving to Paris Saint-Germain. The French squad is looking for a replacement for manager Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the season and it seems that Wenger is a priority for the club.
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