Arsene Wenger admits he is delighted that his gamble with William Gallas has paid dividends.

The Gunners defender was stripped of the captaincy at Emirates Stadium last season as Wenger tried to restore harmony in what was becoming a fractured dressing room.

Gallas had fallen out with then central defensive partner Kolo Toure, now at Manchester City, as well as a number of other team-mates.

Wenger concedes he did not know how the 32-year-old Frenchman would react to the demotion, but he has performed excellently so far this term alongside summer signing Thomas Vermaelen at the back.

“The incident that happened with Gallas was in November of last season when he was stripped of the captaincy,” Wenger said.

“Toward the end of last season, he was very good. I expected at some point that he would want to leave because of what happened but he has found a new balance, a new mood and he has weight in this team.

“It was a hard decision. You never know what kind of consequences that type of decision will have on the team or on the individual.

“Any decision like that can have psychological consequences that are hard to measure.