Arsene Wenger knows full well the need to be "patient" in the quest for honours - and has challenged his Arsenal squad to prove they are winners next season.

As speculation continues over the future of leading scorer Emmanuel Adebayor - who last week declared: "it is up to the directors to satisfy my demands or I will leave" - Wenger returns from his media and sponsor commitments at Euro 2008 determined to mould a squad capable of again challenging the dominance of Manchester United and Chelsea.

The Gunners have already moved to bring in new personnel this summer, with a £13million deal for Marseille's Samir Nasri close to completion as Wenger looks to add to the capture of promising teenage Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey from under the noses of rivals Manchester United, while 19-year-old Mexican striker Carlos Vela has been granted a work permit following his successful loan spell in Spain with Osasuna.

Yet whoever boards the plane to Austria on July 21 for the start of Arsenal's pre-season preparations, they will all have to buy in to the same ethos as their manager.

"In life you need to patient to get to the very top, and don't forget some players do not start to win until they are 28 or 29 and we have many players who are still under 25," Wenger told the official Arsenal magazine.

"I still believe we have created something special here, through the vision we have for the game, through the vision we have for the club and through the togetherness we have in the dressing room. Yes, maybe we have the feeling that we deserve something this season and we did not get reward for our work, but when you are a winner you come back. If you really share the kind of vision that the club has, you come back and say, let's show that we can win it."