By Lewis Rutledge Last updated: 13th September 2007
Arsene Wenger has revealed he only briefly thought about not signing his new contract at Arsenal.
The French tactician put an end to months of speculation about his future last week by putting pen-to-paper on a deal that ties him to the club for another four years.
Wenger has been in charge of The Gunners since 1996 and admits he considered which direction he wanted to take with his life.
But in the end he was happy to sign and he is now excited about leading Arsenal through until 2011.
"I am more committed than ever to do well for the club and I want to go very far with this team because I have strong belief in the players that I work with at the moment," Wenger told Sky Sports News at the launch of the Arsenal Opus.
"There was some scepticism among people but I have always had strong belief in these players.
"You always wonder 'can you do well enough for the club' and you also have to think what kind of orientation you want to give to your life, because at every stage of your career you have to make choices about which way you want to go.
"So you think about it but there was never really any doubt."
Asked what the key factors were in his decision to stay with Arsenal, Wenger added: "The fact that I can help this team to improve, the fact that I have conditions here to work the way I love to work, and the fact that I feel I can push this club high up."

A look at the best pictures as Michael Owen completes his surprise to Manchester United.
Pictures from the unveiling of Real Madrid's reported £56 million signing at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Pictures from the Under 21 championship semi-final between England and Sweden in Gothenburg.
Pictures from England's draw with Germany in the last Group B game of the Under 21 Championships.
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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 15th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Aston Villa vs Wigan |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Man City |
| 15:00 | Bolton vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Hull |
| 15:00 | Everton vs Arsenal |
| 15:00 | Man Utd vs Birmingham |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Fulham |
| 15:00 | Stoke vs Burnley |
| 15:00 | Tottenham vs Liverpool |
| 15:00 | Wolverhampton vs West Ham |
| Tuesday 18th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Birmingham vs Portsmouth |
| 19:45 | Burnley vs Man Utd |
| 19:45 | Fulham vs Blackburn |
| 19:45 | Hull vs Tottenham |
| 19:45 | Sunderland vs Chelsea |
| 19:45 | Wigan vs Wolverhampton |
| Wednesday 19th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Liverpool vs Stoke |
| Saturday 22nd August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Portsmouth |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | Burnley vs Everton |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 24th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle | |
| Blackburn 0 - 0 West Brom | |
| Hull 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Man City 1 - 0 Bolton | |
| Sunderland 2 - 3 Chelsea | |
| Fulham 0 - 2 Everton | |
| Arsenal 4 - 1 Stoke | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Wigan 1 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Liverpool 3 - 1 Tottenham | |
| Monday 18th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Portsmouth 3 - 1 Sunderland | |
| Sunday 17th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Blackburn | |
| West Brom 0 - 2 Liverpool | |
| Saturday 16th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Newcastle 0 - 1 Fulham | |
| Bolton 1 - 1 Hull | |
| Stoke 2 - 0 Wigan | |
| Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Tottenham 2 - 1 Man City | |
| Everton 3 - 1 West Ham | |
| Man Utd 0 - 0 Arsenal | |
Skysports.com takes a look at striker Michael Owen's career to date following his Man United switch.
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