Wenger opens talks on new deal

Pepe LeFrits

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=307845&cc=5739

Wenger opens talks on new deal

Arsene Wenger has revealed he has opened talks on extending his stay at Arsenal as he pledged his long-term commitment to the club.
And the Arsenal boss is also confident of securing the futures of Sol Campbell, Edu and Lauren by the turn of the year.

Wenger's contract runs out at the end of this season, with the board determined to ensure that he at least leads the club into their new Ashburton Grove stadium 12 months later.

After all, Wenger has already brought three titles and two FA Cup trophies to Highbury during his eight years at the club.

He revealed: 'We have started [contract] talks and I don't think there will be any problems there.

'I am committed to the club. I've built a team where we have a lot of good young players and, of course, I want to be part of that.'

Asked if there was any other job that might lure him away, he insisted: 'Not at the moment, no.'

Having persuaded Patrick Vieira to stay at Highbury this summer, while Thierry Henry and Robert Pires also signed new contracts before that, Wenger is now looking to resolve Campbell's future.

The centre-back is out of contract at the end of this season and reports indicated Real Madrid had considered moving for him before finally signing Jonathan Woodgate.

'We have had interest in Sol but we have never decided to let him go, just like with Patrick,' said Wenger.

While he believes the negotiation process could take another few months to complete, he is confident a deal can be reached with not only Campbell but also Lauren and Edu.

'We don't want to sell Sol, we want to extend his contract and we are not far from doing that,' he added.

'But it will take two or three more months before we can finalise anything with him or anyone else.'

Great news, not that there was ever any real doubt about Wenger staying on. Bring on Ashburton grove

Pacifico

Yep great news alright. The future's bright....

gandalf

Yes I knew taking up religion again would pay off

wynters

I'm a Villa fan, and this is the best news I've heard so far this season. If Wenger was to leave Arsenal, O'Leary would be one of the top candidates for the for the Arsenal job having been a player there for nigh on 20 years.

I know a few Arsenal fans who think it's a no-brainer - O'Leary will be the next Arsenal manager...... it's not a case of if, but when

eyerer

o'leary doesn't seem to be a bad manager, though wenger is head and shoulders above everyone, so far

robbie1876

eyerer wrote:

o'leary doesn't seem to be a bad manager, though wenger is head and shoulders above everyone, so far

Agreed, he is by far and away the best manager in the Premiership right now. I hope he extends his contract for at least another 4 years. 1 or 2 years would indicate he wants to move on once he wins the CL with Arsenal, which will happen soon enough I feel. The real challenge will be keeping him at the club once the CL has been bagged.

AngelofFire

wynters wrote:

I'm a Villa fan, and this is the best news I've heard so far this season. If Wenger was to leave Arsenal, O'Leary would be one of the top candidates for the for the Arsenal job having been a player there for nigh on 20 years.

I know a few Arsenal fans who think it's a no-brainer - O'Leary will be the next Arsenal manager...... it's not a case of if, but when

O`Leary is the best manager we`ve had in years we need to get him nailed down to a long term contract hes here for 3 years with the option of an extension.Im glad wengers place at arsenal is secure.

He`s made the most out of the resources at his disposal, he`s brought in brilliant players on the cheap.Solano,Laursen,Berson,McCann,Sorensen cost less than 10 million combined unlike expensive failures such as Alpay,Crouch and Balaban brought in by his predeccessors.

LegacyUser

O Leary and Bruce are the best young managers in the Premiership right now.

Wenger appears to be the best manager overall though.