Arsenal immediately set about seeking to cover for his exit, however when they were beaten to the signature of Jose Baptista by Real Madrid, Wenger expressed confidence in the ability of his existing squad, tipping the likes of Mathieu Flamini and Cesc Fabregas to rise to a new challenge.

“Pat’s sale has hurt us a lot,” said Pires. “We did expect he would be replaced by a player of the same standing and that has not been the case, but we have to respect the decision of the manager.”

Wenger also suggested that Pires might take up a more central role this season, and although the 32-year-old has built his career on flair rather than tackling, he is prepared to adapt if required to play a different position.

He said in The Sun: “I want to improve two areas in which I am not good - combat and defensive work.”

He added: “I know what I’m worth when attacking. Defensively there are shortcomings which I’ve been working on for weeks.”

Next summer sees Pires’ contract come up for renewal, and after coming close to leaving this year, he admits it may be tempting to follow Vieira out of the club.

However he remains committed to Arsenal and would welcome a new deal - providing it falls into line with his demands.

“If I have other approaches, I will think about them but for the moment my mind is with Arsenal,” he said.

“If tomorrow I can obtain a very fine contract, in terms of both duration and salary, I will be the first to be delighted.”