Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has stated that he has turned down a host of European clubs to stay with the Gunners during the team’s stadium being built.

The Gunners have missed out on the Premier League title again and are set to end 2015-16 without silverware, much to the annoyance of the clubs’ fans.

A campaign for the veteran Frenchman to step down from the North London club’s hotseat has begun, with Wenger losing the support of a section of the Emirates Stadium faithful.

The former Monaco boss has hit back at his critics however by stating that he has stayed loyal to the Gunners during the tough period when the club’s new stadium was been built.

Wenger has stated that he rejected approaches from a number of major teams during this time, with it believed that Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City all made moves for him.

“When we built the stadium the banks demanded I signed for five years,” The Guardian report the Frenchman as saying.

“I did it. Do you want me to tell you how many clubs I turned down during that period? I have shown I am committed.

“I did commit and I stayed, under very difficult circumstances. So for me to find [his critics] are reproaching me for not winning the championship during that period I think is a bit overboard. I accept criticism but I think that it is a bit too far.

“All this calming people down by buying names, for me, is the wrong calculation.

“We want to be a better team and do not look too much at the names. I know it is more flashy, all that, but what is important is the quality of the games.”

Arsenal face a fight to confirm their place in the top four this season after inconsistent form of late.

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