WENGER DAMPENS KROENKE THEORY

Arsene Wenger maintains his close friendship with David Dein plays no part in the role he holds as manager at Arsenal.

The Gunners boss found himself fielding questions about off-the-field matters following this afternoon's conclusion of the Emirates Cup, which finished with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan for the hosts to claim the trophy.

Wenger was photographed with former Arsenal vice-chairman Dein - who left the club last season following "irreconcilable differences" with the board - after the pair had dinner together in London last week"

The Frenchman, however, insisted it was "simply" a meeting between two friends and that topics exchanged certainly did not include a potential buy-out of the club by American shareholder Stan Kroenke.

"The story is as simple as ever," Wenger insisted.

"I've been friends with David Dein before I was at Arsenal. I was friends with him during his stay here and I'm still friends since he's departed. It's as simple as that.

"I said the other day, I know I have a responsibility here and I want to stand up for it.

"My friendship with David is something different.

"For a long period it was mixed with the life of the club, but it is no longer mixed with that."

Wenger maintained: "We didn't discuss the future at Arsenal.

"He still asked me how it was going at Arsenal, how is the team going? I have no influence in the shareholders.

"I've never been a shareholder. I'm an employee who is responsible for the technical side of the club."

Wenger used this weekend's tournament - which also included Paris Saint Germain and Valencia - to experiment with team selection.

This afternoon's game with the Serie A champions looked to be heading for a draw before Robin van Persie fired in a brilliant winner, dragging the ball back inside his marker with some dazzling footwork.

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WENGER - I WANTED HENRY TO STAY

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted he could not stop Thierry Henry swapping north London for Barcelona as "he wanted to leave".

Henry joined the Spanish giants for £16million last month after eight years with the Gunners and Wenger admits it was firmly the player's decision.

"Of course you don't want to lose a world-class player without having thought about it," he told the News of the World. "At the end of the day, it was his decision.

"He wanted to leave. You don't make a decision like that in a minute. You check to see if the player is really completely sure of what he wants to do.

"But Thierry Henry's decision is down to him. It's not my decision. He wanted to make the move.

"He's nearly 30. Maybe he didn't have the patience anymore to let the young team develop. You can understand that. It was a tough decision."

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WENGER GUARDED ON ARSENAL FUTURE

Arsene Wenger has vowed to speak about his Arsenal future "at the right moment".

Wenger has a year to run on his current deal and Arsenal fans, reeling from the departure of Thierry Henry to Barcelona, will be praying he decides to extend it.

But the Frenchman was in relaxed mood when quizzed about his future after Arsenal's 2-0 friendly win over Barnet at Underhill.

Asked if he thought he would stay beyond his existing contract, he told Sky Sports News: "I have shown my commitment in the past."

Pressed on whether that meant he would be staying, he added: "I will come out at the right moment... maybe when you don't ask me the question."

Cesc Fabregas, a target for Real Madrid, has given Wenger a boost by committing his future to the Gunners.

"I think Cesc has shown many times that he is committed to the club and Cesc in my mind will never leave," said Wenger.

"He has six or seven years of contract left and we have lost Thierry Henry. We want to keep things as stable as possible."

Wenger is confident that Arsenal can cope in the post-Henry era.

"I think we have good potential to do it," he stressed. "I think we will focus more on sharing the responsibility that Thierry had up front. There will be more focus on team play and not relying so much on one individual.

Wenger is expecting another departure with Jose Antonio Reyes, who was on loan to Real Madrid last season, keen to make the move permanent.

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GUNNERS CONFIDENT OVER WENGER

Arsenal are confident Arsene Wenger will sign a new contract later this year, according to reports.

The future of the French manager came under scrutiny after Thierry Henry stated Wenger had become 'unsettled' following the departure of vice-chairman David Dein in April.

However, despite the fact Wenger is nearing the final year of his contract, Arsenal are so confident he will extend his Emirates stay that they have not considered looking for a successor, according to the Guardian.

The newspaper claims talks on a two-to-three year extension have progressed smoothly and it is expected Wenger will pen his new deal some time between October and December, in keeping with previous extensions.

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ARSENAL DENY WENGER APPROACH

Arsenal have described claims that Real Madrid held talks with Arsene Wenger over their vacant manager's position as "completely untrue".

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon suggested the club had spoken with Wenger after parting company with Fabio Capello.

However, the Barclays Premier League club refuted Calderon's claims that Wenger ever spoke with the Spanish champions.

A spokesperson for Arsenal told PA Sport: "It is completely untrue. Arsene Wenger has not had talks with Real Madrid and is committed to Arsenal Football Club."

Madrid are set to appoint a new coach next week following the Italian's dismissal shortly after guiding the team to the Primera Liga title.

But Calderon claimed, on the club's official website - www.realmadrid.com - that Wenger was among the managers they had spoken to about replacing Capello.

Calderon said: "Once we decided that Capello would not continue, [Madrid sporting director Predrag] Mijatovic underwent talks with Schuster, [Ronald] Koeman, [Michael] Laudrup and Wenger."

Wenger's future has been the subject of intense speculation since the departure of long-term boardroom friend David Dein and, more recently, star striker Thierry Henry to Barcelona.

But it is Schuster, who is under contract with Getafe for a further campaign but has reportedly freed himself from his current contract after Madrid reiterated they would not pay a transfer fee to sign a coach, who is in pole position.

"Schuster has told us that he has solved his situation with Getafe," said Calderon. "I am not sure if on Monday he will be at Real Madrid.

"He has always been among the three or four coaches with whom we have spoken. It appears logical that he will be the next coach.

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WENGER TURNS ATTENTION TO DEFENCE

Arsene Wenger is likely to look to bolster his defensive options, after Arsenal swooped for Croatia hitman Eduardo da Silva.

The signing of the Brazilian-born striker is Wenger's first move in the transfer market since the sale of captain Thierry Henry to Barcelona.

The exact terms of the four-year deal for da Silva - which is subject to a routine medical - have not been disclosed by Arsenal.

However, with some £24million having been brought in following the sale of both Henry and Jeremie Aliadiere, a substantial amount has clearly been spent on securing the services of the prolific forward from Dinamo Zagreb.

Reports, though, from Zagreb that the deal was worth around £16.2million - the fee paid by Barcelona for Henry - are somewhat exaggerated. The package is likely to be more in the region of half that amount.

Even so, that still gives Wenger plenty of room for manoeuvre as he seeks to further strengthen his squad.

Having already brought in Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, the Arsenal boss is determined to add some more quality.

Wenger is now expected to step up his interest in Auxerre full-back Bakary Sagna.

The 24-year-old is likely to cost around £6million and is keen on a move to Arsenal.

There has, meanwhile, not yet been any official announcement on the role of director of football.

It now seems likely former player Gilles Grimandi will be offered the post, which was created following the shock departure of vice-chairman David Dein in April.

While da Silva is certainly not intended to be a like-for-like replacement, he certainly brings with him a rich pedigree.

The 24-year-old was born in Brazil - but having moved to Europe at the age of 15, he took Croatian nationality in 2002.

It was Da Silva who scored the first competitive goal at Emirates Stadium when the Gunners beat Dinamo during last season's Champions League third qualifying round in late August, and he was also on target for Croatia during the 2-0 European Championship qualifying victory over England in Zagreb last October.

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