Wenger not keen on Barcelona job
Arsene Wenger said he had no interest in succeeding Luis Enrique as Barcelona coach yesterday, but admitted his future as Arsenal manager remains up in the air.
Luis Enrique announced after Barcelona’s 6-1 win over Sporting Gijon on Wednesday that he will step down from his role at the end of the season in order to take a break.
Wenger, 67, is due to make a decision on whether to extend his 20-year association with Arsenal either this month or next, and he reiterated that his preference would be to remain at the Emirates Stadium.
Asked if he would be interested in moving to Camp Nou, he said: “No, my preference has always been the same and will remain the same.
“Of course I am not looking for jobs in other clubs or jobs off other people.
“I am focused on me, getting to the next level and trying to improve and always trying to see what you can do better and reinvent yourself and that’s what I try to do. That’s basically it.”
Wenger’s position is once again under scrutiny after Arsenal fell off the pace in the Premier League title race and lost 5-1 at Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.
Despite his long attachment to the club, he said he was not allowing sentiment to cloud his thinking about his future.
“I have been here for 20 years and I had many times the opportunity to leave so I don’t think I have to convince you that my preference has always been Arsenal,” he told a press conference at Arsenal’s training base.
“But of course I am objective and lucid enough to make the right decision for myself and the club as well. The club is free to make the decision it wants and I will respect that.”
Wenger also said he would not be worried about the potential impact of making a statement about his future similar to Luis Enrique’s.
“I believe that the players have their targets, the team targets, and I don’t think that can be detrimental. It can be positive as well,” said the Frenchman, whose side visit Liverpool tomorrow.
Fixtures
Tomorrow: Manchester United v AFC Bournemouth (Old Trafford 14:30), West Bromwich Albion v Crystal Palace (The Hawthorns 17:00), Leicester City v Hull City (King Power Stadium 17:00), Swansea City v Burnley (Liberty Stadium 17:00), Stoke City v Middlesbrough (Britannia Stadium 17:00), Watford v Southampton (Vicarage Road Stadium 17:00), Liverpool v Arsenal (Anfield 19:30).
Sunday: Tottenham Hotspur v Everton (White Hart Lane 15:30), Sunderland v Manchester City (Stadium of Light 18:00).
Monday: West Ham United v Chelsea (London Stadium 22:00).
Premier League table
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Chelsea 26 20 3 3 55 19 36 63
Tottenham Hotspur 26 15 8 3 50 18 32 53
Manchester City 25 16 4 5 51 29 22 52
Arsenal 25 15 5 5 54 28 26 50
Liverpool 26 14 7 5 55 33 22 49
Manchester United 25 13 9 3 38 21 17 48
Everton 26 12 8 6 42 27 15 44
West Bromwich Albion 26 11 7 8 36 32 4 40
West Ham United 26 9 6 11 35 44 -9 33
Stoke City 26 8 8 10 30 40 -10 32
Burnley 26 9 4 13 28 37 -9 31
Watford 26 8 7 11 30 43 -13 31
Southampton 25 8 6 11 28 31 -3 30
AFC Bournemouth 26 7 5 14 36 51 -15 26
Leicester City 26 6 6 14 27 44 -17 24
Swansea City 26 7 3 16 32 57 -25 24
Middlesbrough 26 4 10 12 19 28 -9 22
Crystal Palace 26 6 4 16 33 46 -13 22
Hull City 26 5 6 15 23 50 -27 21
Sunderland 26 5 4 17 24 48 -24 19.
— AFP.
Comments