Wenger still considering whether to stay on at Arsenal despite offer being on the table
Arsene Wenger admits he has yet to make a decision over his long-term future at Arsenal.Wenger’s contract at the Emirates expires at the end of the season and he has already been offered fresh terms on his existing £7.5million a year deal by owner Stan Kroenke.
But Wenger is a man of honour and is refusing to commit until he is certain that he is the right man to lead his emerging team to trophies.
Decision time: Arsene Wenger was in training ahead of Arsenal's Champions League showdown against Dortmund
The Arsenal chief, who is preparing for this evening’s Champions League clash with last season’s finalists Borussia Dortmund, is in no rush.
Wenger said: ‘It’s not a question of my loyalty – I want to feel I can do well for this club. It’s as simple as that.
‘I can build another new team, but haven’t got 17 years, that is for sure.
'I can build another team because in 17 years I had a few teams, but at the minute I’m looking at the short term. I will make a decision about the longer term later.’
Wenger is reluctant to make any significant announcements about his future during Arsenal’s sparkling run of form, but admits November will be crunch time for his squad.
Arsenal are two points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League and have beaten Marseille and Napoli in the Champions League.
But they have a tough run of fixtures with Dortmund (twice), Chelsea (Capital One Cup), and Manchester United and Liverpool in the league before the end of November.
Wenger said: ‘We will know more about ourselves after we have played in Dortmund at the end of November. We have always had teams who played good football, but you can play 37 championship games well and lose the decisive 38th.’
Arsenal are also top of their Champions League group after opening up with convincing wins over Marseille and Napoli.
Passion: Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker issues some instructions during the game
Backup: Olivier Giroud's understudy Nicklas Bendtner (left) trained alongside Mertesacker
Strength in depth: Arsenal embark upon a tough Champions League fixture against Borussia Dortmund
Standing in the way: But Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp is banned from the touchline
Although the Frenchman trained with the team on Monday, he cannot play a competitive game for five days after medical staff confirmed he had mild concussion on Saturday.
Instead he will return for the Premier League clash at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Meanwhile Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny has been offered a new five-year contract after his excellent start to the season.
Szczesny’s existing deal expires at the end of the next season, but Arsenal want to ensure there is no uncertainty regarding the Pole’s future as he approaches the final year of his contract.
The goalkeeper, 23, currently earns in the region of £50,000-per-week and will expect a decent pay rise.
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