Arsenal powerbroker Tom Fox insists winning silverware isn't the be-all-and-end-all for the club. Fox, the Gunners' chief commercial officer, says the commitment by Emirates to renew their shirt sponsorship deal through to 2019 proves that "the brand" is robust despite the club being without silverware for more than seven years.

He is quoted by the United Arab Emirates-based Sport 360 website: "Arsenal Football Club is not only about winning.

"We have a large and engaged fan-base around the world who want to feel as if they belong to the club, and want to feel proud to belong to the club. That's my primary business.

"Obviously nothing instills pride in our fan-base more than winning, but there's many things we do that make our fans feel proud.

"Developing young talent and finding those players in the marketplace make our fans feel proud.

"Whether it's Serge Gnabry, who is a 17-year-old player in our reserve squad, whether it's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whether it's Theo Walcott, we look at these young players and have faith in our manager to develop them as the players for the future.

"And the fans come to a stadium that the club built really at a time 10 years ago when the board decided to build that stadium.

"Everything was going our way, it was Manchester United and Arsenal.

"But we made a very bold decision and we built that stadium on time and on budget - that makes our fans very proud.

"When they see that we can attract - even though we haven't won a trophy in seven years - one of the top global brands in the world for the type of money and financial commitment they're making, that makes our fans feel proud.

"So our brand is defined by more than winning."