Arsene Wenger has played down a weekend meeting with former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein yesterday.

Speaking after yesterday's 2-1 Emirate's Cup win over Inter Milan at the Emirates Stadium, Wenger offered a smile at the intrigue generated by photographs published over the weekend of him meeting his close friend Dein in a restaurant near his house.

"The story is as simple as ever," he said. "I was friends with David before I was at Arsenal, I was friends with him during his stay here and I'm still friends with him now that he's left."

The meal, he insisted, had no implications for the club's future despite Dein's association with the major shareholder and potential suitor, Stan Kroenke.

"We didn't discuss the future of Arsenal. I know I have a certain responsibility here and I want to stand up for it. I'm an employee who is responsible for the technical side of the club, that's all."

The search for a director of football to take up Dein's former duties is more directly down to the Frenchman, though he appears no closer to filling the void. There have been talks with Gilles Grimandi, the former Arsenal midfielder who has been working in the club's scouting department in recent seasons. The former Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder emerged as an alternative candidate yesterday. "I like Glenn, but I've not met with him," Wenger said.

This 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.

Arsenal's ambitions this season stretch well beyond the Emirates Cup but, after the traumas endured last term, there was relief to be had here in silverware of any kind.

In defeating Paris St-Germain 2-1 on Saturday the hosts had been forced to weather extensive pressure before edging victory.

Against Internazionale they were at their best and might have basked in a comfortable advantage by the interval had Julio Cesar not excelled against Robin Van Persie.

Instead Inter squeezed themselves ahead through David Suazo's fine header in the 62nd minute - there is a fragility at the centre of Arsenal's defence that needs addressing - only for the home side to revive five minutes later. Bacary Sagna supplied Alexander Hleb with an equaliser, before Van Persie secured the team's first silverware since the 2005 FA Cup. ... Guardian Service