Arsene aims to clock up 1,000

ARSENE WENGER plans to clock up 1,000 Premier League games as Arsenal boss.

Today’s north London derby at Wembley will be the Frenchman’s 817th game in charge. And

Starsport can reveal Wenger has spoken about his desire to reach four figures with the Gunners.

Wenger tops the Premier League charts for the most games at the helm. He overtook Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson with his 811th match, the 1-1 draw at West Brom, on December 31.

Wenger (right) will reach 828 games at the end of the season and would need to stay at the Emirates for close to five more campaigns to hit the 1,000 mark at the age of 73.

That would take his tenure at the club to close to three decades.

The chances of Wenger being able to fulfil his dream look slim, with the club failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time under him last season.

They are sixth in the top flight, 24 points behind leaders Manchester City and Wenger has one more season on his deal.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said yesterday that Wenger was the last of a dying breed of oldschool managers.

In more than 21 years at Arsenal, Wenger has established almost total control at the club. “It’s difficult [to be like Wenger],” said Pochettino. “For different reasons, it is tough.

“Maybe we are talking about one of the last managers to be able to apply this power over everything in a football club. The owners are different these days.

“Before, England was a little bit of a paradise for football.”