Arsène Wenger will not remember last season with fondness. Not only did his Arsenal team fail to win a trophy, but the normally placid Frenchman frequently lost the plot on the touchline, berating match officials and incurring the wrath of the FA. It was a stain on the most thoughtful of characters, an unpleasant if rare blemish, but what Wenger is not is disloyal.

It is why, despite the turmoil that will inevitably cascade round the Emirates Stadium after Thierry Henry’s departure this weekend, Wenger is unlikely to tread the same path to the Nou Camp.

Not yet, anyway. Wenger is a firm believer that his word is his bond and that, even in the hypocritical world of football, he can be trusted. He has one year remaining on his contract at the club and, as he has repeatedly stated, he will honour it.

Barcelona may have found it easy to tempt Henry for one last big payday, but they will find it nigh on impossible to do the same with his French compatriot. Wenger has laboured long and hard since moving to Highbury from Japan in September 96, he has a job to finish and it is unlikely to be concluded until May 2008.

Then – and only then – the gloves will be off. “What happens after his contract is up?” Nigel Winterburn, the former Arsenal left back, said last night. “I can assure you, a lot of clubs will be desperate to take him.”

Wenger could stay. Many times in the past, it has been mooted that he could end his career with a stint in the boardroom. Yet that was before David Dein, the vice-chairman, departed suddenly this year.

It was Dein, the chief powerbroker at Arsenal, who identified the talent of Wenger and persuaded him to leave the Far East. It was Dein who forged a strong working and personal relationship with Wenger as the media and many supporters continued to ask: “Arsène who?” And it was Dein who left a huge void when he fell out with Peter Hill-Wood, the chairman, and headed for the exit.

To say that Wenger had lost his soul brother would not overemphasise Dein’s importance in the running of the club. That he sided with Stan Kroenke – the American billionaire, who now owns more than 12 per cent of the shares and is reported to be considering a takeover – was his undoing.

If Hill-Wood and Kroenke were able to repair the damage, Wenger may be persuaded to extend his contract. Conversely, if Kroenke managed to buy out Arsenal in the next 12 months and have Dein reinstated, Wenger would almost certainly stay.

Reunited with Dein, harmony would return and Wenger could concentrate on reigniting Arsenal’s faltering standing in the Barclays Premier League. Barcelona – or whoever – might find it impossible to lure “The Professor” away from what he considers his spiritual home.

Much of this is likely to become clear around Christmas, when the manoeuvrings in the boardroom could have reached an advanced stage. If the Kroenke-Dein axis is gathering momentum, Wenger will be happy. Yet if progress is slow and the team are stuttering – with Henry gone and no one brought in to strengthen a novice forward line – Wenger’s thinking may be clouded. He will have to start talks about a new deal, but will he really want to?

How Wenger replaces Henry will also have a great bearing on his final decision. It is, though, the impossible task.

Even at 29 and injury prone, Henry is blessed with skills that are possessed by only a few. That Samuel Eto’o – one of those few – will remain at Barcelona and play alongside Henry limits the field farther.

When Patrick Vieira left two years ago, Cesc Fàbregas emerged from the Arsenal brat pack to plug the gap. However, when Henry goes, there appears to be no one to fill his shoes. Another campaign of frustration and touchline ranting looms for Wenger.