Samir Nasri Transfer Outcome Will Define Arsenal's Season for Better or Worse

The day should have belonged to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who addressed a press conference in Malaysia and said he expected both Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas to stay at the club next season.

Fabregas he seemed less sure of, but Nasri he said was "committed" to Arsenal and that the speculation surrounding his desire to leave The Emirates was just that.

Finally some hope for the club's fans, who were beginning to wonder how Wenger could possibly expect to spar with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City, shorn of his two best players.

If what Wenger said was true, they could afford to dream again. Fabregas might still leave for Barcelona, but at least Nasri would be around to continue his development. And with Gervinho poised to complete a move from Lille to London, suddenly Arsenal were title contenders again.

Most importantly, a key Arsenal player had decided The Emirates was a good place to be next season. That in itself was a moral victory for both the club and their manager. 

Suddenly, in one short press conference, Arsenal had gone from free-falling hopelessness to sky-rocketing optimism.

Trust Wenger's great rival Sir Alex Ferguson to bring them back down to earth. Speaking on Manchester United's preseason tour in Boston several hours later, the Manchester United manager addressed his failed £20 million bid for Nasri.

"I don't think he's coming to United. That's all I can tell you," he said. "I think he's agreed to go somewhere else. Maybe he has to stay at Arsenal, also. That's a possibility.

"That's a decision [Wenger] has made. He is the manager. If he stands by that decision it's a brave one. I'm not sure the [Arsenal] directors will enjoy that one, but it's possible. Maybe he will have to stay."

It was classic mind games from Ferguson, who succeeded in both undermining Wenger's optimism that Nasri would stay and suggesting that if he did, Arsenal would more of less be forcing him to.

The stakes are now higher than ever. Nasri almost certainly won't be joining United now, but if the Arsenal board decide a huge offer from the likes Manchester City is too good to turn away, Wenger's pride and credibility will take a battering.

Everybody thought this summer would be about Fabregas again, but it's Nasri who's pushing the Arsenal agenda. Whether he stays or goes could define the immediate futures of both Arsenal and their manager.