'Retirement is dying': Arsene Wenger vows to continue as manager next season

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on Saturday reiterated his desire to continue as manager next season as he feels retirement is akin to dying for people of his age, Sky Sports reported.

Wenger, 67, has been under fire off-late among Arsenal fans after a string of poor results over the course of this season. The London outfit currently lie in sixth place in the Premier League with four defeats in their past five games.

Their 10-2 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League only added fuel to the fire. So far, Wenger has maintained his desire to continue as manager, expressing hope of even staying on at the Emirates.

Asked if he had plans to retire, Wenger said: “I will not retire. Retiring is for young people.”

“For old people retirement is dying,” added Wenger, speaking before Sunday’s Premier League match against Manchester City. “I still watch every football game. I find it interesting.”

The Frenchman has been offered a new two-year contract by Arsenal, but has yet to sign it, stating that he will make a decision “very soon”.

This Wenger’s 21st year at the helm of affairs and Arsenal. The club last won a Premier League title in 2004.

Wenger acknowledged the pressure, but claimed to be as hungry as he was 20 years before.

“Of course I’m as hungry,” he said. “I carry a bit more pressure on my shoulders than 20 years ago but the hunger is exactly the same.

“When you see what the club was and what it is today - when I arrived we were seven people [members of staff], we are 700 today.”

He added: “I hate defeat. I can understand the fans that are unhappy with every defeat but the only way to have victory is to stick together with the fans and give absolutely everything until the end of the season, that’s all we can do.”

Asked if he feared angering the fans further, Wenger denied any such notion.

“Fear, no. My next game is about hope and desire.”