"Arsenal are the sixth budget in England, its balance of recruitment over these past five years is level : in other terms, we' ve spent 'zero franc' when Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool or Chelsea have bought more than they have sold. What I' ll leave at my departure is very important to me. To quit with a £60 million deficit would be a failure in my eyes. That' s my reasonable side, I feel as liable for the club' s financial balance as for the results on the pitch or the players' personal success.

"The Arsenal 'never say die' attitude is symbolized by the elders. There are no longer players more committed to their colours than Keown or Adams. When fit, Tony is still one of the best defender in Europe. Maybe I' ve waited too long but we are prospecting throughout the world to find his successor and I must humbly admit that we haven' t found him. It' s not a simple question of money, one great centre-back is extremely rare : suffice to notice that Blanc, Costacurta, Mihajlovic, Ferrara or Hierro are nearly 35.

"Today Patrick Vieira is the [young] player who best symbolizes the club spirit, he will be the captain in the future but for the time being I prefer to give the armband to Tony Adams who is one born leader or to one of the elders in respect for the legacy they hand down. Like Ashley Cole this season, English youngsters like Jermaine Pennant will play for the first team within one year or two. This is a big success, as the youth system was next to zero when I arrived.

"As long as you cannot build for the future you lose one part of your dreams. After four years spent here, I' m still persuaded that England is the best place to work in the footy world. The passion is still intact, matches are more interesting because they are lively and my job is more respected here than anywhere else. In Italy or Spain, I' d perhaps have more money at my disposal but less responsibilities. I therefore desire to stay here as long as I like it and people are pleased with me.

And he also said that he is "deeply interested in signing a new contract" but is waiting for the outcome of the ruling on transfers to take his decision.