English FA Premiership:The composed Arsene Wenger was a man at a slight loss yesterday. He has never seemed quite like that in his 11 years with Arsenal but the manager was still adjusting to the departure of his ally, David Dein, who was forced off the board on Wednesday. Uncertainty for Wenger creates instability for Arsenal.

The Frenchman would view the partnership with Dein as one of the keys to success, with the former director crucial in securing the players Wenger wanted to sign. A director of football will now be appointed to take over such duties and Tottenham's Damien Comolli could be a target since he and Wenger worked together at Arsenal and at Monaco.

Yesterday Wenger offered no promises he will sign a new contract when the present one ends in 2008. "We were very close," said Wenger. "We were in contact every day . . . We live close to each other so we had a lot of meetings at my house or his . . . We had differences but there was an understanding. When he didn't agree with me, he told me. When I didn't agree with him, I told him. There was no resentment, just a completely honest relationship."

But Dein is now numbered among the departed because of a disagreement. The other board members were unhappy with his connections to Stan Kroenke, the US billionaire who inched his stake in the club up to 12.19 per cent yesterday and could have a takeover bid in mind.

Peter Hill-Wood, the Arsenal chairman, gave the impression the breach with his vice-chairman Dein resulted from a loss of trust as much as a difference of opinion. "We suspected he knew Kroenke far more than he was letting on," Hill-Wood said. Wenger, who has been in touch with Dein, hinted at these undercurrents. "I am not sure that what happened was linked with Kroenke or investment," he suggested. If finance were the sole subject, Wenger would apparently ally himself to Hill-Wood and his distress has more to do with the fact he probably believes some agreement with Dein should have been reached that would have kept him at the club.

The Frenchman is as sceptical about takeovers as ever. Even without his master's degree in economics it would have occurred to him the investors snapping up Premiership clubs will want a return on their money. It cannot be assumed they will be munificent funders of transfers. Chelsea, rather that being trendsetters, could be the sole exception. "Apart from [ Roman] Abramovich," Wenger noted, "we do not know how much more money is inside the other clubs because only Abramovich has said: 'Yes, I will pay £50 million, £100 million or whatever it costs'.

While Hill-Wood has spoken of a mission to "keep Arsenal English," Wenger describes the motives of the chairman and his allies in less belligerent terms. "I don't think it's got anything to do with a reluctance to [ accept] foreign investment," he claimed. "I think it's just that people want to stay at the club and do not want to sell their shares. They feel that they have built the club up and built a new stadium."

Wenger's reticence about any new deal shows no difference from his policy in the past. "I extended my last contract with less than a year [ to run] because you have to feel you can [ still] do it for the club . . . I am committed to do as well as I can for the club and for the team for as long as my contract lasts."

As that last phrase demonstrates, he will not undermine his negotiating position when he seeks money for signings by pledging he will stay.

Guardian Service