ARSENE WENGER commits himself to Arsenal until 2011. But the question on my lips is: does he have those yearly ‘get-out’ clauses that the press speculated about? According to the Chairman, the clauses are absent.

If Wenger has had ‘get-out’ clauses inserted into his deal – then there is a chance every summer could be filled with ‘will he go this week’ stories. I don’t think the clause is Wenger’s style; he is a man of his word and I would imagine it would have to be a massive job to tempt him to leave Arsenal. I know Bayern Munchen have always had a place in his heart and I would suspect that they could lure him if they really tried.

What does the deal mean? Well, I am sure it ties Fabregas to the team for the next three years; although I fully expect him to leave Arsenal in his mid-twenties for either Real Madrid, Barcelona or AC Milan. Having Wenger committed to the club will tempt in players who had perhaps thought this summer that he was leaving and therefore didn’t want to join Arsenal. This deal I would also imagine would be safe against any potential takeover at boardroom level. Wenger is in a good position; he is liked by the current board and also by the company (Red & White) who are most likely to launch a bid; as they are led by close friend David Dein.

What Arsenal FC need now is the boardroom situation sorted out, so whatever progress is made this season (so far, so good) is used as rock solid foundations for genuine dominance, rather than a false dawn. This Arsenal team certainly looks like it has learned from last season’s heartache and have started off like a rocket. No, it hasn’t been perfect, but of the three goals conceded so far, two were horrifying goalkeeper errors by Lehmann and the other a fluke goal from Kanu that left Almunia flat-footed. At the other end, Arsenal look potent, with van Persie, Fabregas, Hleb and Rosicky netting, as well as Adebayor and Eduardo. I was heartened to hear that the midfielders have a book running on who will score the most; professional pride is second to none when it comes to motivation in the workplace!

If Arsenal continue this run of form up until January, I will expect new signings to be made (just like Reyes, Diaby, Adebayor and Walcott); 1 — to cover the ACN call-ups, and 2 — to allow the newcomers to support the team until summer and then be bedded in for the 2008/9 season. I won’t speculate at all who these players may be (because only Wenger knows!), but I would expect a couple of defenders to come in. With Bendtner allegedly sounding-off about his lack of playing time so far, there could be some frontline import / export too. A new DoF may be appointed too, now that Wenger has tied himself down.

I can’t wait for the cup runs, I really want to see Merida getting run-outs and also to observe whether Bendtner does indeed walk the walk…

There are still ‘if’s and but’s’ – although one thing is clear – this new contract for Wenger makes him Arsenal’s best signing this summer.