Arsene Wenger has shunned the idea of making major changes to the way he runs Arsenal if he stays at the club, insisting that the right structure to succeed already exists "as it is today."
Wenger's comments seemed at odds with Arsenal CEO Ivan Gazidis, who told fans this weekend that the club's poor run of results over recent weeks will be used as "a catalyst for change" -- whether Wenger stays in charge beyond this season or not.
But when asked about Gazidis' comments, Wenger said clubs shouldn't focus on "superficial" things and defended his own accomplishments in transforming the club since his arrival in 1996, saying massive structural changes have already been made "without anybody putting one penny in, all only based on the quality of my work."
Wenger said he remained determined "to improve and to be better," but then added: "That is evolution, it is not change. Change is at the heart of who you are. I think that's difficult."
Gazidis had told fans that the board was reviewing every aspect of the way the club is run, leading to speculation that drastic changes such as hiring a sporting director could be in the works. However, he insisted that a decision on whether to give Wenger a new two-year contract has yet to be made.
Wenger has been credited with changing the way top English clubs were run when he first arrived in the country, bringing new methods for training, nutrition and match preparation. But his critics say his methods are now outdated and that he has too much influence over matters away from the training ground.
But when asked if things needed to change at Arsenal, he said many Premier League clubs are tinkering too much with the way they do things.
"Football today is a lot of talks, a lot of talks, a lot of talks. But at the end of the day, good football players on the football pitch is more important than anything else," he said. "In England at the moment you have a lot of money [in the game] and you spend a lot of money on things that are superficial, that are not really important. English football invested a lot in structures. It creates many jobs, but at the end of the day you have to see what's really efficient, it's the quality of the player on the football pitch."
Asked if he could work with a sporting director, Wenger only replied: "I don't know. We play tomorrow against West Ham, and we speak about 2025."
The Arsenal boss also encouraged people to examine the differences between the way the club is run today compared to 20 years ago.
"I would like you to visit one day the club now, what it is, [compared] to what it was when I arrived. And you would say that there is a structural change," he said. "After, you can say that, yes, we do not win enough games.
"Yes, OK, you can always demand more. But as well I think we have managed to combine big investments and structural change without anybody putting one penny in, all only based on the quality of my work and being consistent. If somebody in the next 20 years does much better, believe me I'm very happy. But at least he has fantastic conditions, a strong financial situation and good players.
"If we can do more and better, I don't know. Yes of course [we can], because that's the target of the club, is always to do better. But the structure is there, as it is today. We have fantastic conditions to do better. So a spectacular change of structure now will be very difficult."
Those comments are unlikely to appease the section of Arsenal fans who are calling for Wenger to step down when his contract expires this summer. He remains under heavy pressure from supporters, some of which have been staging protest marches before every recent home game.
A few fans even protested outside the team's training ground on Tuesday, calling for Wenger to leave the club and star striker Alexis Sanchez to stay. One of them had dressed up as Wenger, holding up a "4th place trophy," while another was dressed as Sanchez.
They were positioned just outside the entry gate, meaning Wenger and his players had to drive past them on their way into work. But the Frenchman had no desire to comment on the latest show of dissent.
"Why should I waste energy on that, honestly?" he said. "I don't know what to say. It's good that they can waste their day like that."
But despite the ongoing turmoil surrounding his future, Wenger still found time for a joke when asked if there was anything he'd like to change about himself.
"If I could come back on earth I would have a fantastic right foot, a fantastic left foot, I would be quick, strong, and score 10 goals per game," he said. "That is what I would like to change."