Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger refused to commit himself to the Gunners beyond next season on Friday, adding to uncertainty at the club after the departure of vice chairman David Dein.
Wenger is under contract until the end of next season, but he wouldn't discuss his future after that.
"I do not want to speak about beyond my contract because I think it is important to concentrate on the short-term and to the end of the season," Wenger said.
The 57-year-old Frenchman was happier to talk about Dein, who quit on Wednesday after a dispute with the Arsenal board for reportedly supporting a possible takeover by US billionaire Stan Kroenke.
Dein, who became an Arsenal director in 1983 and still owns 14.5 percent of the club's shares, is also chairman of the G-14 group, which comprises European soccer's most powerful clubs.
He was instrumental in bringing Wenger to the club in 1996 and the two are close friends.
Since then, Arsenal have won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and reached the final of the Champions League last year.
"It is a disappointment and a big loss," Wenger said. "David always at heart had the best interest of the club. We had a great partnership, but now we have to focus on tomorrow."
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood said the board decided Dein's relationship with Kroenke was detrimental to the team.
Kroenke, who increased his ownership to 12.19 percent of the club's shares on Friday, is rumored to be interested in a full takeover.
"Americans are buying up chunks of the Premiership football clubs and not because of their love for football, but because they see an opportunity to make money," Hill-Wood told newspaper the Daily Express. "Our objective is to keep Arsenal English -- albeit with a lot of foreign players."
Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa are already owned by Americans, while Chelsea, Fulham, Portsmouth and West Ham are also owned by foreigners.
If Kroenke obtains 30 percent of Arsenal's shares, he will be able to launch a takeover bid under London Stock Exchange rules.
He is a real estate developer who owns the NBA's Denver Nuggets, the NHL's Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Kroenke is also a co-owner of the NFL's St Louis Rams.
In February, Kroenke Sports Enterprises announced it had formed a marketing alliance with Arsenal to exchange business, commercial and marketing information, and share coaching and training philosophies.
Hill-Wood has claimed that three key Arsenal shareholders -- Danny Fiszman (24 percent), Nina Bracewell-Smith (15.8 percent) and Richard Carr (4.35 percent) -- had no intention of selling their stake.
Hill-Wood, whose family association with Arsenal dates back to the 1920s, also played down rumors that Dein will return to the club.
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