Arsene Wenger confident of seeing out 2-year contract at Arsenal

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Long-serving Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hopeful of seeing out his current two-year contract at the English Premier League club amid speculation about his future.

The Frenchman signed a new contract at Arsenal at the end of last season but the club have shown little progress this term.

They sit sixth in the league, knocked out of the English FA Cup and unsure of UEFA Champions League qualification for next season.

The club’s inconsistent performance has led to speculation that Wenger’s 22-year reign could come to an end after the current season.

“I have always respected my contracts,’’ Wenger, 68, said.

“I will like to recall that I said `no’ to all the biggest clubs in the world to respect my contract. So, that’s always what I try to do.

“After that, we have as well to accept in our job that the future is the future. But, for me, that’s to win the next game.

“We have to perform better in every single game and show until the end of the season a complete hunger to win every single game. That’s what it’s about for us.”

Arsenal’s best chances of winning a trophy remain in the English League Cup, as they face Manchester City in the final on Feb. 25.

They are also in the UEFA Europa League, where they recorded a 3-0 win over Ostersunds in the first leg of their last 32 tie on Thursday.

The Europa League is also Arsenal’s most viable option to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season.

The eight-point gap to fourth-placed Chelsea in the league appears insurmountable with 11 games left to play.