Arsene Wenger does not sound like a man on his way out of Arsenal.
The Gunners go into the final day of the season with the race for the Champions League out of their hands, knowing they need either Liverpool or Manchester City to slip up if they are to make the top four.
It will be a record low for Wenger’s reign, though he can still salvage the campaign to some extent by winning the FA Cup.
Regardless of how the next few weeks pan out, the Frenchman is clearly planning for the summer, which suggests he knows he’ll still be in charge.
Speaking at a press conference after his side’s 2-0 win over Sunderland – which was overshadowed by thousands of empty seats at the Emirates – Wenger insisted he wasn’t interested in the opposition’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
The 23-year-old made a number of good saves to keep the Black Cats in the game and has won plaudits all season despite Sunderland’s relegation.
The England hopeful is likely to leave the Stadium of Light, but Wenger has poured cold water on any rumours linking him with a move to north London.
“Pickford had an exceptional night. I think we had 36 shots at goal, the highest in the Premier League. The keeper saved 11 of them, so he did extremely well,” the Arsenal boss said.
“But we have plenty of goalkeepers. We have Petr Cech, [David] Ospina, we have Wojciech Szczesny who is only on loan at Roma and has had an exceptional season. We [also] have Damian Martinez.
“If there is one thing we do not need to buy, it is a goalkeeper.”
That could well change if Szczesny makes his Roma move permanent, and Ospina may also move on in search of first-team football.
The more pertinent question surrounds Cech and whether he is capable of another season at the top.
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