LONDON (AFP) - Patrick Vieira is determined to finish the job Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger started by helping him to win the Champions League.
Vieira said Wenger's decision to sign a contract that ties him to the club until 2008 was a big boost for the players.
A new stadium is expected to be finished in time for the start of the 2006 Premiership season and Vieira insisted the Gunners will not be satisfied until they have achieved Wenger's ambition to bring the Champions League title to London.
"Every year the club is improving off the pitch. With the new stadium and the manager signing a new contract, the future looks bright," said the Arsenal captain.
"Arsene wants to finish the job. He started something here and he hasn't finished it yet. His decision to sign a new contract is important for the players because we started with him and, of course, we want to finish with him."
"I remember two or three years ago that they wanted to be one of the biggest clubs in the world and that's the way the club is going.
"The players at the club try to keep the spirit of Arsenal alive. We know that to win games and be successful, the spirit is really important. Since I've been at the club for the last eight years, the spirit has been one of the main strengths.
"I have a contract until 2007 and will stay here. After that I don't know what's going to happen but Arsene has committed himself to the club until 2008 and that's fantastic for the young players.
"Arsene will finish the job by taking the team as far as he can. The club will never be satisfied until we win the Champions League because we want to be the best and that is the target."
The French midfielder also paid tribute to Wenger's managerial qualities by admitting that he helped him to become a better player and a better person.
"Arsene has also talked about aspects of my game that I needed to improve and has been really honest with me about things I did right and things I did wrong.
"He made me grow up as a man and a human being. He has been terrific to me and I can't thank him enough for that."
Wenger himself believes a lot of Arsenal's current success is down to the battle-hardened spirit displayed by the older element of the English players at the club when he first arrived.
"We have a special spirit at the club and we got that through the generations," Wenger said.
"When I first came here there were eight players over 30 who had a special spirit. The magic is that we have managed to transmit the spirit of Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown and Nigel Winterburn and kept that alive.
"The challenge will be to keep that spirit over the next few years and that is the target for the next generation."
The champions plan to shrug off the defeat against Manchester United and embark on another unbeaten sequence against Southampton on Saturday.
10/29/2004 - 10:11 GMT - AFP