Arsene Wenger did an hour of questions and answers for shareholders yesterday evening. It’ll be broadcast on Arsenal TV tomorrow (Thursday) at 9.15pm, or so I’m led to believe.

For the most part, he played a straight bat to some searching but respectful questions. I never expected him to get a hammering from the shareholders present, but they were given the opportunity to express their concerns in their questions and it was a valuable exercise for all concerned. I am certain the manager received a different take on what he’s doing than he might from being quizzed by journalists in search of a headline.

You’ll see the events on your screen if you get Arsenal TV and there’s a slightly more expansive account than I’ll give here on arseblog this morning, although I’d point out that it was an event for shareholders as promised at the October AGM, rather than for the Arsenal Supporters Trust, although there were a number of AST members present in the audience. The Trust have a Q&A with acting Managing Director Ken Friar at the stadium on Monday next week which you can attend if you join up before and let them know you wish to attend by email (stating you are joining). Cost is £24 a year if you pay by standing order and membership is open to all Arsenal fans with an interest in the ownership of the club, not just small shareholders.

One interesting answer that Arsene Wenger gave in the light of later gossip was that he is seeking a defensive player and a creative player in this summer’s transfer activity. He also semi-joked a couple of times that Ken Friar will be a very busy man before next season gets under way. Of course positionally, the manager’s not going to be more specific about his targets, but over refreshments after the manager had departed came a bit more of the jigsaw.

One of the shareholders present is quite close to one of the first team squad. No names mentioned as I wouldn’t want to compromise the source of the info, but apparently Alex Hleb will indeed be leaving the club this summer.

Wenger talked about wanting to keep this group of players together, but with two years left on Hleb’s deal, the club would presumably have sounded him out about an extension if they wanted to keep him in the long term. His response – or lack of it – may force Arsenal to sell now when they can still get a decent amount of money for a player that did not come cheap. And it would explain why Arsene is on the lookout for a creative midfielder!