Wenger staying on at Arsenal

Arsene Wenger is happy with the team he has built so far, and he has no intention of leaving the club just yet. That is a huge relief for Arsenal fans especially since the departure of Thierry Henry.

To be frank, Arsene has done a fantastic job without splashing crazy amount of cash in the transfer market. By grooming precocious talents like Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Kolo Toure into international stars, he has won over detractors with his reputation in spotting unpolished gems.

So far, it has been a smooth start for Arsenal with an unbeaten league run and they have easily qualified for the Champions League group stages. And Wenger's recent comments may just be the slap in the face for Alex Ferguson who has spent an enormous amount of money for mediocre results.

"Nobody knows for how much longer people will continue to pump 40, 50 or 100 million pounds into football every year without natural resources and any dividends being paid back," Arsene said.

"There are many ways to work in the game. We buy good players when they come onto the market, but generally we have gone for a different solution and we will continue to do that."

"I'm not saying other clubs have got it wrong. Instead we're doing it our way and are happy with that. It's my decision to take this route."

The admirable thing about Arsene's discipline is the club's coffers are bursting at the moment after Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov bought David Dein's stake in the club for 75 million pounds, sparking inevitable speculation that a takeover was imminent.

Wenger has expressed a keen interest to stay at the Emirates Stadium. His relaxed smile when he was asked if there was any update about his contract negotiations suggests the French coach is close to giving Arsenal fans the answer they want.

"What I'm thinking when I'm negotiating the contract is whether I have the freedom to work like I want to work," he said. "I always had that with David Dein and, since David has gone, I still have that. That is, for me, the most important thing. There will be news on the contract next week."