The Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has again reaffirmed his commitment to the club after being linked with a move to Real Madrid. However, he has left question marks hanging over the future of the striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

Wenger sparked speculation that he could be prepared to leave the club this summer after admitting that working in Spain would be an "interesting project". But today the Frenchman said there could be little doubt about his dedication to the Arsenal cause.

"I have shown my commitment always to this club, in good and in bad times and in the worst times, but I don't think that people can question my commitment," said Wenger.

Asked whether that meant he would still be at the Emirates Stadium next season, he added: "I do not have to repeat every week exactly the same thing."

Wenger said he felt the club were on the up and even made a point of mocking Real's recent record in Europe. "I believe we had recent disappointment but overall since eight months [ago] I'm very proud of the way the team has improved," he said. "You speak about Real Madrid – they waste a lot of money and they have gone out in the last 16 of the Champions League for five consecutive years."

Arsenal's Togo striker Adebayor has been linked with a move to Italy and Wenger admitted the situation was complicated, refusing to rule out the player's departure. "It's very difficult to go into any individual assessment with that," said the manager. "The only thing I can say is that Adebayor is under contract and he's with Arsenal, and that's it."

Reports have suggested that the striker has become disillusioned after another trophyless campaign for the Gunners, but Wenger was keen to defend his team's development over the last few seasons.

"We are very sorry that we haven't won a trophy, but many clubs would be proud of the record we have in the last four years," he said. "With such a young team, if you consider the value of the team, the quality of the team and the investment we have made in the last four years, we do not have to be ashamed of the quality of the football we have shown.

"That is the most frustrating thing – the club is going in the right direction and we have to be strong enough to continue to do that."

Despite claims that Arsenal are willing to fund a summer of transfers, Wenger highlighted the development of players such as Nicklas Bendtner as reasons why he would not have to add drastically add to the squad this summer.

"We have one or two targets, we are analysing every position very well and the potential of the players we have, the improvement the players are capable of making for next season. We have a team that is on the way up, so we have to take that into account as well.

"We talk about the numbers for Bendtner, but if we had taken them from between July and December they would not have been as good – that means the player has moved forward. He will move again, and you have to analyse that before you make decisions which could stop the player developing."