Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 8y

Arsenal hopeful Arsene Wenger will dismiss England approach - source

Arsenal remain confident that Arsene Wenger will reject any approach from the Football Association over the vacant England job and see out the final year of his contract, a club source has told ESPN FC.

The FA reportedly views Wenger as one of the preferred candidates to replace Roy Hodgson, but the Gunners boss is unlikely to depart his role this summer as he has always been adamant that he will respect his contract.

A club source told ESPN FC that the Arsenal hierarchy do not think the Frenchman would be tempted by an approach by the FA and that he has always been of the opinion that England should be managed by an Englishman.

Wenger will celebrate his 20th anniversary at Arsenal in October and is under pressure to deliver a major trophy next season after facing increasing criticism from supporters last term.

He has said he will not decide whether to extend his contract until next summer, but any serious overtures from the FA could force Arsenal to start negotiations earlier.

The Times and Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday that Wenger would be open to an approach from the FA to discuss the position.

However, with World Cup qualifying starting in September, the FA is unlikely to be willing to wait a full year for Wenger to become available, especially as he could still decide to stay on with the Gunners.

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who spent last season on loan at Roma, has urged Wenger to stay on at the Emirates Stadium.

"I am sure he would be a great thing for England, but my main interest is Arsenal football club and I hope it doesn't happen, for the sake of Arsenal, not for the sake of England," Szczesny said.

FA chief executive Martin Glenn has said he would be willing to wait several months for the ideal permanent manager, and that he is open to appointing a foreign manager.

Laurent Blanc, Slaven Bilic and Jurgen Klinsmann have also been tipped as possible candidates, while Ryan Giggs has suggested Louis van Gaal would be a good option to hold a role within a new-look setup.

Wenger, who is working as a TV pundit in France during Euro 2016, had been coy about the prospect of taking on the France job last month, but he has yet to address the speculation over England job since Hodgson stepped down on Monday.

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