Arsene Wenger said on Friday that he will make a decision on his Arsenal future “in March or April” as he vowed to remain in football management come what may next season.
The Frenchman is out of contract with Arsenal at the end of the current campaign and questions over whether he will stay intensified after the humiliating 5-1 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Uefa Champions League on Wednesday.
“No matter what happens I will manage for another season,” said Wenger, who has been Arsenal’s manager for more than 20 years.
“Whether it’s here or somewhere else, that is for sure. If I said March or April it is because I didn’t know. I do not want to come back on that. We have other priorities at the moment.
“I hate defeat and it’s hard to take, but I have the strength and experience to come back from that.”
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Read more
■ Team Talk Podcast: What next for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger?
■ FA Cup predictions: Chelsea breeze to victory at Wolves
■ Steve Luckings: How to clear up the ambiguous handball rule
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What made the Bayern defeat all the more bitter for Arsenal’s supporters was that it meant, barring an extraordinary second leg, Arsenal will be knocked out in the last 16 of the Champions League for the seventh year in a row.
Meanwhile Arsenal have not won the Premier League since 2004 and could not mount a sustained challenge even when Leicester City took the title last season.
That domestic title drought looks set to continue, with Arsenal currently 10 points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea.
But Wenger warned Arsenal fans, many of whom have been heavily critical of him in recent times, that the club’s form will not improve spectacularly just as a result of him leaving the Emirates Stadium.
“We have to focus on the real problems and they are the way we play football, not my future,” he said. “It is always important not to look for wrong excuses in life.
“Even if I go, Arsenal will not win every single game in the future. It is not like before I arrived Arsenal had won the European Cup five times.
“I think what is important is that the club makes the right decision for the future. I care about this club and its future and it is very important the club is in safe hands.”
Arsenal travel to non-league Sutton United on Monday night for an FA Cup fifth round tie.
* Agence France-Presse
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
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Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
