It was almost a year ago now that I first heard of a growing rift on the Arsenal board from people who were working on the move to Emirates.

On the one hand, Dein, the man who brought Arsene Wenger to the club and who helped its transformation by finally signing a "big name", Dennis Bergkamp, after near misses with the likes of Ruud Gullit and others, wanted the club to concentrate on being competitive on the pitch. He was and remains a fan at heart.

Keith Edelman, with a background working for companies such as IBM, BHS and Carlton, is very much a businessman who understood the financial requirements football clubs needed to survive in a sometimes volatile market. He understood that while times were good on the pitch - and no one would deny that Wenger's trophy haul was done on something of a shoestring even compared to the Newcastles, Middlesbroughs, Leeds Uniteds and Tottenhams of this world - turning away tens of thousands of fans while the going was good was financial suicide.

As plans developed and got underway to build a new ground within walking distance of Highbury, we all appreciate that finances have been stretched at Arsenal.

Dein's relationship with Edelman, I understand, became stretched to the point where they hardly spoke. Edelman wanted to put the club on a sound financial footing while Dein craved more on-field success. Dein's quest for power has been part of his downfall. Ejected from the main FA board last year after briefing too many journalists on events at Soho Square, his alarmingly high profile conflicts of interest and failing to convince the governing body to make massive changes (and backing a delayed bid for Scholari when the FA wanted to appoint the new England manager before speculation became inhibiting), he has been wielding power through the G14 superclubs organisation, a position he will also have to leave now. Whether he can get himself back into the FA is in doubt, but certainly working with FIFA or UEFA is unlikely given his stance to protect clubs over the international game.

That should be our main concern. If he has Arsenal's best intentions at heart, rather than his own ambitions, he should offer to sell his shares to Danny Fizman, who has the money (despite selling some shares recently) at a fair price that will still make him a substantial profit on his modest £250k investment. The fear is that he will continue to talk to Stan Kroenke and do his best to unsettle the club, buying whatever shares he can before such time as the American is in a position to make shareholders an offer they cannot refuse. A year may be a long time in football, but not as far as takeovers are concerned. Remember how long the Glazers were looming at United even though the club was structured differently?

In some ways though, Edelman's fresh pair of eyes may well be the saving grace of Arsenal. A businessman he may be, but when the stadium is paid off (and although it is a further strain on resources, shouldering the costs for the redevelopment of Highbury will reap greater dividends than selling it off for a developer to make the majority of the profit), Arsenal will be in a fantastic position.

Looking long term, if we were fans of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool or even Aston Villa, all certainly big clubs, could we honestly say that we are convinced that the foreign owners have the best intentions of the club in their hearts; that they are not looking at it as an investment; that they will remain committed to the club for years to come? Eccentric he may be, but Mohammed Fayed threw money at Fulham when he bought it, losing interest to the point where he does little more than keep it ticking over these days. Who's to say that won't happen to those I've mentioned?

We all yearn for some big name signings, even though Wenger's record of eye-catching buys has not always delivered (Jeffers, Richard Wright, Van Bronckhorst, Reyes) - and who knows what the manager really thinks behind closed doors? If Dein's departure following the board meeting yesterday came after another such investment discussion and his demand for new investment to keep up with our rivals, one wonders if Wenger, who was present, agreed with his friend.

This is the same Wenger who, remember, decided to build a side of youth at Monaco in rebellion to the corruption at Marseille and their financial "cheating" by spending big (Ed’s note – buying matches as well as star players). He is as good as doing the same thing now, investing in youth rather than established names, which has never really been his way anyway.

This is the same Wenger who said a few weeks ago that he enjoyed the stability at Arsenal, the fact that they were a traditional club where upheaval rarely exists. He said recently: "It is important Arsenal maintains its values because they are what makes the club so popular and that is beyond any investment. The values are a bit of human class, distinction, respect for people and ambition to have a certain class in what you do. That is what I felt when I came inside this football club - there was fair play, a desire to do things well and basic human values. What I like inside at this club is that we have maintained our values, we show we care about our fans and we care about people who love the club. There is a desire to have a certain level of attitude and behaviour at this club that makes you feel comfortable."

Wenger knows that Arsenal is bigger than just one man, even if that man is the increasingly marginalised and now departed Dein. This is the same Dein, remember, whose over-promising to Ashley Cole and Jonathan Barnett led to us losing Cashley and whatever we think of him now, at the time Cole was something of a loss. That mistake said much about Dein's loss of influence, the Board's rejection of Cole's demands as much a pointer to Dein that his influence was in decline as to the player that they did not think he was worth what he wanted.

Whether Wenger has enough of an accord with the rest of the board to trust them in the negotiation of transfers and contracts and whether he is inclined to discuss another deal are different issues entirely but I for one really doubt that he will be inclined to walk away whatever happens, and let someone else develop or destroy the legacy of youth, the handful of world class players coming through, that he has assembled over the past few years.

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