Gazidis hints Arsene Wenger could extend his Arsenal contract
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has confirmed he wants Arsene Wenger to extend his contract beyond the end of next season.
Gazidis said he believes Arsene Wenger is committed to the club "for the long term" - but could not offer any firm update on the manager's status beyond the end of next season.
Wenger has been strongly linked with a move to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at Paris Saint-Germain in recent months, with suggestions that he may be tempted to make the move to the French capital when his Arsenal deal expires at the end of next season being floated in recent days.
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"I really don't want to have a public discussion about Arsene's contractual position," Gazidis told reporters. "That would be a daily, weekly fixture on the public coverage if you start getting into that.
"I don't even want to say [that we have discussed a new contract]. What I will say is that we think we have got a fantastic manager. We have got a lot of confidence that Arsene is the right person to take the club forward and I think he will want to do that. We hope that he wants to do what he is doing for the long term. I believe he does.
"I think he is still ambitious, still driven and sees the potential of the club as he looks forward and I think he is very excited by that. We have a great relationship and he has a great relationship with the board as well.
"This is going to happen very quietly behind closed doors, privately and then there will be an announcement when things are all put in place."
Gunners boss Wenger, 63, is the club's most successful manager and yet his eight year barren spell without a trophy has left some supporters believing the time is right for change.
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Gazidis said he believes Arsene Wenger is committed to the club "for the long term" - but could not offer any firm update on the manager's status beyond the end of next season.
Wenger has been strongly linked with a move to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at Paris Saint-Germain in recent months, with suggestions that he may be tempted to make the move to the French capital when his Arsenal deal expires at the end of next season being floated in recent days.
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"I really don't want to have a public discussion about Arsene's contractual position," Gazidis told reporters. "That would be a daily, weekly fixture on the public coverage if you start getting into that.
"I don't even want to say [that we have discussed a new contract]. What I will say is that we think we have got a fantastic manager. We have got a lot of confidence that Arsene is the right person to take the club forward and I think he will want to do that. We hope that he wants to do what he is doing for the long term. I believe he does.
"I think he is still ambitious, still driven and sees the potential of the club as he looks forward and I think he is very excited by that. We have a great relationship and he has a great relationship with the board as well.
"This is going to happen very quietly behind closed doors, privately and then there will be an announcement when things are all put in place."
Gunners boss Wenger, 63, is the club's most successful manager and yet his eight year barren spell without a trophy has left some supporters believing the time is right for change.
About 1st4FootballTickets.com: Thousands of football tickets are on sale on Europe's biggest football ticketing website: We have English Premier League 2013 tickets such as Aston Villa tickets, Tottenham Hotspur tickets and football tickets for Man Utd. But also football cup tickets such as UEFA Super Cup 2013 Tickets and tickets for the FIFA Confederations Cup.
