Arsenal will win trophy this season – says Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger chose his 60th birthday to put his reputation on the line by claiming his developing team will win a trophy this season.

Wenger, speaking yesterday at the Arsenal AGM at which he received a standing ovation from shareholders, retains the total faith of the board and fans for his glittering achievements during more than 13 years as the club’s longest-serving manager and the way his teams play – despite it being four years since Arsenal won any silverware.

But a bullish Wenger remains confident that the drought will end soon, saying: ‘I know that we haven’t won a trophy for four years but we have been very close and I believe that this season we will do it.

‘When I say that, it is not to please you, it is because I am really convinced of it. I believe that and the fans know we will go for it.

“We are only in October and I know it will be very tight. It will come down to how resilient, consistent, intelligent and united we are until the end of the season. There will be periods when it will be difficult, but we have to show the strengths that have always made this club special.

‘We have developed the team over the last five years with a tremendous amount of training. It is easier to do that if the majority of players have grown up inside the club from 16 or even younger. They learn to love the club and what it represents.

‘And this season we are ready to go for it in the Premier League, the Champions League and the cups.’ Wenger refused to say whether the domestic league or conquering Europe was his priority, answering: ‘I want to win both.’