Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists fans should be proud of where the club now stands.

Slowly the Gunners are moving forwards on a strong financial footing which Wenger believes will ultimately help the club hang onto top stars like Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and former captain Robin van Persie, who have all left the club for better deals elsewhere.

"People forget we built a new stadium. We had to go through with limited resources and (yet) still maintained the club at the top," he said.

"We just qualified for 13 consecutive years in the last 16 of the Champions League and even with all the financial resources we have now, it is not sure we will achieve that in the next 13 years."

Wenger added: "We are now going towards a period where we will be able to compete again financially with other clubs."