Another brief offering from me this evening as Cloid continues with blissful disregard for those of us who have little interest in friendly international football and hanker for the return of the club game.

I’ll start – and end – with under-fire, inept, past-it, average, unlucky, misunderstood, scandalously-under appreciated, messianic (delete according to stance) Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. Having revealed his “hurt” at the “sceptical environment” created by a portion of disgruntled fans a couple of weeks ago, the manager has revisited similar ground in an interview with beIN Sports.

Confirming he has every intention of still being Arsenal boss next season, he said:

I have no doubt because I am committed and when I do something I do it 100%. I am always committed to give my best as long as I am at the club. I don’t worry too much about the rest, what other people say. All the rest is judgments, opinions …In my job you focus on what is important which is to perform. I believe in life it is very important you focus on what you are appointed for and I am appointed to perform and do the best for my club. That’s all I focus on. My future is my future. I think the criticism during the season is not very welcome when you fight for the championship. Especially after the Tottenham game [a 2-2 draw] when we were a bit lucky, but you have to live with it. I have my conscience. What is most important is I give my best every day, I work for my club that I love and if I can share that love with the supporters then it is better. But at the end of the day I want to make sure I give my best and I put my knowledge at the disposal of my team.

Pretty emphatic and typically defiant stuff from the boss and far from shocking in any way. He has a year to run on his contract after this season and he’ll see it out no matter what happens.

That said, having seemingly been close to stepping aside in 2013 before we ended our trophy drought by winning the FA Cup against Hull, I think Arsene will decide to go himself this time if we don’t win the title before his current deal expires.

My hope, and expectation, though, is that we’ll see him go all out to sign the players he thinks are ready-made to turn us into champions this summer. In my opinion, Arsene’s more of a winner than he’s given credit for, and as ruthless as they come with culling squad members when he’s forced to be by faltering results and increasing criticism of his own abilities.

As such, I’m both hopeful and excited about about our potential transfer business this summer when Arsene will surely recognize, it’s now or never if he wants to end his Arsenal managerial career in the same manner he began it – by winning the Premier League.

Back on Wednesday.