Arsenal

Arsene Wenger: 'Past title collapses down to tapped-up players'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 28 February 2016

Arsene Wenger suggests that certain players being more focused on their own personal futures is to blame for Arsenal's previous Premier League title collapses.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has claimed that his side's previous title failures could be down to certain players being more focused on securing a move away from the club.

The Gunners have come close to ending their now 12-year Premier League title drought a couple of times in recent years, but have fallen short in the latter stages of the campaign on each occasion.

Wenger is confident that his current crop of players will keep their eye on the prize for the remainder of the season, however, thanks to an improved team spirit among the squad.

"The mood of some players was more to get the next contract somewhere else than to win the championship because at the time we had to sell our players," he is quoted as saying by The Mirror.

"When we went into April some of the players were tapped up to go somewhere else and it was difficult to maintain the focus. That's not the case at the moment. It's difficult to keep the focus, but the psychological situation is completely different today.

"This is a team that's very hungry. They want to win and I think they've shown that in the cup in the last two years. This team wants to do well and is very conscientious and I think my job is more to relax them a little bit."

Arsenal find themselves five points adrift of current leaders Leicester City ahead of their meeting with Manchester United at Old Trafford this afternoon.