Midway through a fairly routine pre-match press conference a nerve was struck when the subject of Franco Baldini's busy summer as Tottenham Hotspur's technical director was put to Arsène Wenger. The inquisitor was not even permitted to reach the end of his question, as Wenger pounced with a short, sharp response. "Would you work with a dir …"

"No."

There was a pause. The air in the room felt a little thick suddenly. Was this a slight at Arsenal's neighbourly rivals? Hardly. This was more a case of Wenger flexing his muscles as the unchallenged lord of his Islington manor. Pressure may have cooked throughout summer as Arsenal skulked through the transfer window with – to use a favourite Wenger metaphor – the handbrake on. But the club's great decision maker remains entrenched. The role of the manager is sacred. The only person who sanctions any bids for any potential signings is Wenger. Total responsibility is his, and he welcomes it.

"If a director of football buys the players, when they don't work you are guilty for not using them well. When they work he has bought well," Wenger said. "I am not against having people to help me to buy and sell. I cannot do it all. I am not the one who thinks he is Superman.

"But I think the final decision has to always be with the manager. He is the one who is responsible for the style of the team, and the results. It makes sense that the manager chooses the players who come in."

On the eve of another tense north London derby, Wenger admits that maybe this approach piles too much on to his plate. "The transfer market, I don't deny, is a problem for me," he says. "It conflicts with the period when the season has started already and it needs a big focus on the competition." Why, then, not deal with this conflict? Why not delegate? Why remain so inclined to leave transfer business until the tail end of the window? Why not pre-empt that problem by doing some early business as others have been able to do? Why the dithering?

There is a lot at stake as this window comes to a close. The fact that Ivan Gazidis spoke so openly about how Arsenal intended to use their new financial power to push on leads to an obvious conclusion if there is no successful late sweep for talent.

The board is duty bound to have an inquest if the squad is not strengthened, as was the plan outlined at the start of June. With Wenger's total responsibility comes total accountability.

The Arsenal board, who never dare to challenge Wenger's control, may well feel a dilemma coming on about the manager. The Frenchman's deal runs until the end of the season. He has had a number of renewals during his 17-year tenure, but until now they have all been a case of Arsenal having to tempt Wenger to carry on. Perhaps now he has to tempt them.

Wenger gestured as if his ticking down contract was a subject that went straight over his head at the moment. He has other priorities. A win against Tottenham Hotspur would, he reckons, establish Arsenal as credible title contenders. Then there is deadline day, and the so-far complicated search to up the squad numbers. His ideal is for 17 or 18 "senior, confirmed, quality players" with youth as back up.

Gazidis's comments about Arsenal's new wealth have arguably made life difficult round the negotiating table. "I don't know," Wenger said. "At the end [of the window] you can say yes or no."

For the third season in a row Wenger faces this particular fixture, the one loaded with local meaning, with a bigger picture pressure swirling around him. The last two worked out extremely well, with resounding 5-2 scorelines. This time, he needs to convince the doubters more than ever. Is his way – the only way as far as the current Arsenal setup is concerned – still the right way for the long term?