LONDON – By Omobolaji Oyegunle After leading Arsenal Football Club to lackluster performnce at the on-going EPL, Arsene Wenger on Wednesday dismissed any possibility of leaving the club this summer and urged supporters to remain united behind the team amid talk of a fans boycott.
The Gunners face the prospect of playing today’s Premier League home game against West Bromwich Albion before thousands of empty seats as significant numbers of season-ticket holders have made their tickets available for resale.
There are also a few hundred tickets on general sale – a very rare occurrence for Arsenal – as fan opprobrium grows towards Wenger after a slump which took them from the top of the table in January to 13 points behind Leicester with five games left.
Wenger’s current deal expires at the end of next season and the 66-year-old bristled at the suggestion he could walk away before then.
“I do not want to come back on that, I respect always my contract,” he told Standard Sport. When pushed further on if there was any chance he could quit no matter what happens in the final five games, he added: “I’ve just answered your question.”
Three of Arsenal’s remaining matches take place in north London and Wenger underlined the importance of supporters uniting behind the team as they look to finish above Manchester City and secure automatic qualification for the Champions League as a bare minimum.
“I want our fans to be happy and when they are not it affects me,” said Wenger. “You do not want to play in a negative environment, if we do we can still perform. We are responsible for the performance of the team and it is true that at the moment it is not a highlight but we have to take a distance with that.
“I hope in the next years Arsenal will always play in the top three and hopefully people won’t get disenchanted and have to agree with less.
“Look, everybody is free to do what he wants with his season ticket. We have to live with that. It’s a Thursday night, it’s unusual [for a kick-off time]. We just had a disappointing result at home, maybe that plays a part as well. First of all it’s not experienced yet and we have to live with that.
“The emotional part in our game is always very high but changes very quickly as well. Judgment from people [is something] we have to live with. It’s down to us to change that belief and judgment.”
There were reports in the wake of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace that several players were unhappy with Wenger’s management but the Frenchman insisted both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez want to extend their contracts despite initial talks failing to produce a definitive outcome.
He also distanced Arsenal from any link with a summer move for Leicester playmaker Riyad Mahrez.
— With additional reports from ES
