Olivier Giroud says that all the Arsenal players want Arsene Wenger to stay on as manager next season.

Giroud signed a new contract extension last week, but it is not yet known if Wenger will do likewise when his current deal expires in the summer.

German midfielder Mesut Ozil said recently that Wenger’s decision will be instrumental in whether he also signs an extension, and Giroud said everyone in the dressing room wants Wenger to extend his 21-year stay with the club.

“We hope that the boss will sign a new contract. Because we all want to keep going with this squad,” Giroud said.

“From my side, obviously [signing a new contract] is a good thing because I feel very good at Arsenal and I really want to carry on to win the league and to always improve myself.”

Arsenal are eight points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea, but goalkeeper Petr Cech insists that gap can disappear quickly.

“Their confidence is very high and they obviously have an advantage in terms of points,” Cech said about his former Chelsea teammates. “But it’s still a long way to go, and in football everything can go pretty fast.”