'Arsenal can finish the season the strongest' says Wenger

Arsène Wenger remains confident Arsenal have the strength of character required to force themselves back into the Premier League's top four.

Arsenal head to Sunderland on Saturday on the back of a 7-1 thrashing of Blackburn Rovers at the Emirates Stadium, a first league win of 2012 and a result that reduced the gap to fourth-placed Chelsea to three points following their 3-3 draw with Manchester United.

"We still have real hope that we can finish the season the strongest," Wenger said. "We have a good spirit and desire within the group – and we have quality. We know that with the position we are in we need an exceptional consistency, so that is the challenge we have in front of us at Sunderland."

Arsenal's defensive worries have eased somewhat in recent games with the return to fitness of Bacary Sagna, while fellow full-back Kieran Gibbs is also close to being in contention again after his groin problems.

Johan Djourou did not feature in the squad for the win against Blackburn but the 25-year-old appears very much part of Wenger's plans, with the Switzerland Football Association posting an article announcing Djourou – who came up through the Arsenal youth ranks – had agreed a contract extension until 2015.

Djourou said: "I like this club and I want to stay here as long as possible. I currently work in the background, waiting for another chance to show my potential. I have confidence in the future."

One player who does not appear to view his long-term future at Arsenal, however, is Carlos Vela. The 22-year-old forward is currently on loan at Real Sociedad and said: "I would stay at Real. I am happy and the people support me.

"I owe Arsenal affection and gratitude for the opportunity that they gave me, but I was not happy there and this affected my work. It was hard day to day and, when it came to training, I was thinking about going home. Here, however, I am happy and have made good friends.

"It is too early to talk about these issues, but I do not close the door to Real. However, if you cannot reach an agreement with Arsenal, you cannot do anything. As I said, I'm happy here and would like to help the team stay up, then we will see what happens in the summer. Right now, we cannot do anything even if we wanted to."