The official site's statement from the man himself says, "I am staying at the Club. I’ve spent the summer considering my future and a possible move to Real Madrid, but my love for Arsenal and the ties which I have here were too strong for me to break. I am proud to be captain of the Club and I’m looking forward to achieving my football ambitions with Arsenal."

It also says that he thanks the club for their patience and understanding during recent weeks and that his decision is purely down to his desire to stay at Arsenal.

Part of me wishes I'd held out a bit longer, rather than publishing Wednesday's article. I always believed that the most likely outcome was that this would come to nothing (and I know I'm not the only one that saw Arsenal deciding against Carrick, if indeed that was true, as some sort of hint), but didn't have the nerve to say so. But there has been lots of positive feedback from that article so let it stand. The fact, as I said then, that we would actually have been very strong in midfield without him, only goes to show how awesome we still are in midfield with him.

As I said on Wednesday, it was understandable that he was considering his options (and we can add to that, that his place in Real Madrid's midfield might have been more guaranteed than in Arsenal's!). And the fact that he has come to the decision that Arsenal is the place to be is tribute to his level-headedness. It shows that he's a club man and not the mercenary that so many outside the ranks of Arsenal supporters were hoping he'd turn out to be.

So let's forget all the stories. All the reports of bust-ups between Paddy and his French Arsenal team-mates, of him being unhappy that he'd been told he'd given the ball away too much on occasions (as if doesn't know!). It was there to drive wedges between Vieira and the club, and to fill pages once the press realised they had nothing new to say about the big move they were so convinced should have happened already.

Some in the press will be wondering what sort of reaction he'll get from the Arsenal faithful. We don't. We know. Arsenal fans love him and the fact that, this summer, he has explicitly chosen to play for us can only enhance that. Like so many of our players, he could play for any club in the world. But he wants to be at the Arsenal. It's a very special time to be a Gooner. Thanks Patrick, and the rest.