Contract was key to Vieira exit - Wenger

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger revealed the fear of losing Patrick Vieira for next to nothing prompted him to sell the midfielder to Juventus.

Vieira, the manager’s first signing at the club and the driving force behind three championships, was surprisingly sold to the Italian giants this week for £13.7m.

Wenger believes the time remaining on the 29-year-old’s contract was crucial when it came to deciding to let him leave.

The Frenchman said: “Last year he had three years to go on his contract; this year only two and the next only one.”

While Arsenal would have received more for their skipper last summer, if Vieira’s contract expired he would have been able to move to any club on a free transfer.

“For next year (we would receive) nothing,” Wenger added. “That is part of the decreasing value of a player which means next season’s residual value would be nothing.”

If Vieira did see out his contract he may have also struggled to negotiate favourable personal terms, given his age.

“I was open in my mind when a player is 29 to 34, we have to respect that,” Wenger added.

“It’s been a hard week but an eventful one, we have gone through a period where we have to accept Patrick will leave us but he has given us nine years.

“We have to be positive and regroup, we have the quality and spirit.”

Life after Vieira started positively with Alexander Hleb scoring in a 4-1 friendly win against Barnet at Underhill.

Thierry Henry, who Wenger confirmed as a Vieira’s successor as captain, added the second.

Dennis Bergkamp and Justin Hoyte sealed the win, with Dean Sinclair grabbing a consolation.

Wenger could still be looking to bolster his squad, with Sevilla striker Julio Baptista linked with a move to Arsenal, along with Newcastle’s Jermaine Jenas.

The Gunners boss revealed he has not made an approach for Jenas and responded to criticism from fans as the payment for Vieira is spread over two years, which makes his position in the transfer market uncertain.

“It’s difficult to keep everyone happy and I don’t know why people have to comment on that,” Wenger added on Sky Sports News.

“It’s 20million euros and in the market there are not many deals like that.”

He added: “We have not made an approach for Jenas.”