Robin van Persie may finally be prepared to discuss a new contract with Arsenal. Even if the two sides cannot agree on a deal, the Gunners are considering keeping van Persie despite the risk of him leaving for free next summer.
Many Arsenal supporters are concerned about the future of the Dutch striker, and it now appears that his representatives will begin meeting with Arsenal to work on a fresh contract. According to The Telegraph, van Persie is set to hold “provisional talks” with the Gunners.
Although the discussion has started, it is unlikely that van Persie will agree to a new deal until after the season. And who can blame him? Presumably Robin wants to see if we qualify for next season’s Champions League and review his options during the summer.
If Robin chooses to stay at the Emirates Stadium, he will likely recieve a substantial increase in his wages. Jeremy Wilson of The Telegraph believes that a new contract could pay van Persie over £100,000 a week. The Daily Mail is reporting that the club is willing to hand Robin record-breaking amounts of money. Whatever the case, Arsenal should pursue all the necessary avenues in their effort to keep RvP.
Even if they are unable to extend his contract past the end of next season, reports suggest that the Arsenal hierarchy would consider holding on to van Persie until his deal expires. It would be an extreme move from our club, though possibly correct if they cannot find a viable replacement. Imagine a scary scenario where we are not in the Champions League next year and we sell van Persie in the summer. Surely, we would not be able to attract a striker of RvP’s calibre even with the benefit of the Dutchman’s large transfer fee.
With that said, it would be difficult allowing one of the top goalscorers in the world to leave for nothing. During the summer Arsene Wenger and the board members should be able to sense whether van Persie wants to stay in North London. What we don’t want is a player who does not want to wear the red-and-white shirt. Even considering van Persie’s immense talent, a footballer with no desire to play for his club is a useless player.
So far, Robin has declined to chat about his future publicly, but it does appear that Arsenal are desperately attempting to open the negotiations. As well they should. This season has been nothing short of a nightmare, but without van Persie, who knows what state our club would be in right now?
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