Asked if he was confident about keeping his midfield maestro after his contract in the summer, he said: "Yes I am confident, but I don't really know what that means!"

But Wenger stepped back from punting speculation about Ozil potentially moving to Manchester United or Turkish giants Fenerbache to praise the player for his performance.

He said: "It was important for him to get that goal because 99 per cent of the time he gives those chances to other people. He deserved it."

Although Wenger bemoaned a string of missed chances that would have buried Newcastle if they had been taken, he said: "I would have loved the scoreline to be more comfortable, but three points was the most important thing for us today.

"Three games in six days is hard and we knew we had to be aware of their set pieces, and as long as it stayed at 1-0 there was a threat.

Wenger also praised Jack Wilshere, who is expected to open new contract talks with the club next week.

The manager added: "It is very positive that he can play two games in three days at this level, even though like the rest of the team he is  tired."

Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez said: "I can't complain about the work rate and commitment of my players. The never gave up fighting, but we are what we are. Arsenal had pace and quality and we did well to cope.

"Our situation at the moment is that we did so well for a while after coming up from the Championship and everybody expected us to be in the top 10.

"But we have a young team that is learning all the time, and hopefully we will be able to bring in some additions in January.

"I am not happy with the situation and the players are not happy, but they know what is needed in the Premier League.

"The fans know what we have to do, but we are where we are and I can't complain about the commitment and spirit of my players."