WENGER TO LEAVE IT LATE ON A NEW DEAL AT ARSENAL

ARSENE WENGER will make Arsenal wait until at least April before deciding whether to extend his contract beyond the summer or walk away from the club he has managed for 20 years.

Wenger’s existing deal expires in May but the 67-year-old is in no hurry to commit himself until a month before it is due to end.

The Frenchman indicated yesterday that he will take stock of his situation at that time and is comfortable leaving it so late. He did not agree to his last contract until the last minute, signing a three-year extension in May 2014 after the season had finished when his tenure was set to end the following month.

‘I will judge where I stand in spring and make my decisions then,’ said Wenger (right), whose side face West Brom on Boxing Day. ‘And the club is free as well. It’s not because I am here a long time that I have any rights. We are both in the same boat.’

Wenger is the longest-serving manager in English football by a considerable length of time. Paul Tisdale, at Exeter City, is behind him on ten years. The closest in the Premier League is Eddie Howe, who has been in charge of Bournemouth for four years.

Wenger denied that his delay on whether he increases his own record would impact on Arsenal’s long-term planning, adding: ‘There are plenty of managers who arrived at the end of their contract. It happened to me before. I signed sometimes in March, April for longer contracts. So I don’t think it’s a problem.

‘I worked everywhere I was until the last day of my contract with total commitment. That’s why maybe I can go back everywhere I was, because people respect that.’

Part of Wenger’s decision will hinge on how Arsenal perform in the second half of the season. They were firmly on course to challenge for the title but two defeats against Everton and Manchester City in their last two games have left them nine points behind leaders Chelsea. Mesut Ozil was savaged for his display in the 2-1 defeat to City and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville showed a replay afterwards of the midfielder strolling around while Pep Guardiola’s players passed the ball around.

But Wenger has staunchly defended the player. ‘He is a guy who works much harder than people think and his body language goes a bit against him sometimes,’ Wenger insisted. ‘We are a team who win the ball back high up the pitch very well, which means he and Alexis (Sanchez) do their part of the job very well.’