Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger maintains he will continue to work in the game as long as his health allows. Wenger, 60, recently penned a new deal to keep him at Emirates Stadium until 2014.

By then the Frenchman, who has revolutionised the north London club since arriving in September 1996, may well have decided enough is enough. Wenger, who would not be short of suitors, revealed he would like to continue his habit of working with emerging talent, even if that was away from a top club.

Speaking to L’Equipe, Wenger said: “I will coach for as long as I am healthy enough. I could finish coaching young players, but not necessarily at professional level. I am planning to remain with Arsenal until the end of my new contract, but at my age I am forced to consider the short term.

Wenger admits a return home would perhaps be appealing one day, for the right project. “In France, there is the club who are close to my heart, Strasbourg,” he said. (FIFA)

So there you have it. Clearly Arsene Wenger is something of a romantic, longing to hang up his managerial gloves (should that maybe be a pen or piece of chalk rather than gloves?) in the city of his birth. Take into account that RC Strasbourg, the club the Emirates boss supported as a boy and had a brief playing career with, are currently sitting not so pretty in the third tier of French football, known as the Championnat National.

Perhaps the 60 year old feels he could help the club return to glory, the club did after all win the Ligue 1 title not so long ago in 1979 and have suffered an ignominious fall from grace. Clearly Wenger still feels he has a lot to still to do as Gunners boss and was quick to reiterate his love of the north London club.

“If I am still here it will not be because of a lack of offers from clubs overseas, but because I really appreciate what I have been given here. I am fortunate to work with complete freedom.”

SAM ALLARDYCE has once again thrown a grenade in the direction of Arsene Wenger.

He says the Arsenal manager appealing to the FA for help in protecting his players is a way of putting pressure on refs.

Big Sam calls Wenger "a very clever man" and also claims he manipulates the media in London.

I think Wenger, having seen several of his players suffer nasty injuries in the last couple of years, has every right to speak publicly about the effects of poor tackles.

In my opinion, the art of tackling is dying and many current Premier League players think they can tackle - but a great many can't.

This is why we are seeing an increasing number of broken bones and ankle injuries.

As for Wenger controlling the media, that is simply not true - as it's not possible.

Allardyce, meanwhile, is being hypocritical. While he is moaning that you are not allowed to tackle Arsenal players any more, El-Hadji Diouf is guilty of unsportsmanlike foul play.

Diouf barged into Mark Schwarzer in the move which led to Christopher Samba's goal for Blackburn against Fulham on Saturday.

Diouf had already done something similar to the Fulham keeper. To me, it looked as though this was a plan.

Diouf was not looking at the ball - his eyes were on Schwarzer - so he was deliberately looking to block an opponent. This is foul play.

Goalkeepers get too much protection at times but when someone is effectively body-checked, then the referee has to give a foul. Particularly when the official is in a good position, like Saturday.

But you have to ask the following question: Was Diouf practising this move in training under the watching eyes of Allardyce? Or was it just a coincidence that on two occasions, his player deliberately barged into a keeper following a long ball towards the area.

Only Allardyce knows the answer. I think he needs to look at himself before he starts criticising other managers, that's for sure.

And when his teams carry out such actions, it is simply more ammunition for Wenger to throw back.

During the week, Allardyce claimed he could win loads of trophies at both Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

I don't know whether he had tongue planted firmly in cheek but Big Sam also said he'd win the Double at Manchester United and Chelsea.

But you can imagine the outcry if Allardyce, in charge at the San Siro, gave Inter a diet of long balls into the box with Samuel Eto'o under instructions to barge the visiting goalkeeper.

I'm not saying Allardyce could not manage a top club abroad and it would be nice to see an Englishman do so.

But Allardyce would not be able to have a team delivering dodgy tricks like this.

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Equally, though, Wenger doesn't always help himself. The FA will now be dying to throw at the book at him after shoving fourth official Martin Atkinson in the back at Sunderland on Saturday.

Wenger will have been acutely aware of the consequences of such an action.

I wish he had pinched Atkinson on the bum, so giving the FA a real problem.

I'm not sure whether a manager has been punished for doing that before...