Category Archives: Robin van Persie

Van Persie contract negotiations stall

  By jtom | 18/05/2012 - 7:30 AM | Robin van Persie, Transfer News
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The big meeting on Wednesday did not go well for Arsenal, as reports suggest that Robin van Persie wants to assess his options before considering any contract to stay at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners had wanted to sign the Dutchman to a new contract before Euro 2012, but that is now very unlikely. According to The Guardian, van Persie has “no intention” of accepting Arsenal’s proposed deal until he is able to review finalised offers from other clubs. With RVP currently training at the Holland camp, it appears as if this transfer drama will stretch out past Euro 2012 and late into the summer.

Manchester City and Juventus are the two favourites to land van Persie if he leaves North London. Both clubs firmly believe that the Dutchman has already decided to leave Arsenal, though the Gunners are still hopeful that they can convince van Persie to stay. Another outcome could see Arsene Wenger hold on to van Persie through the final year of his contract. Wenger has previously said that he would be willing to risk losing him on a free transfer next summer.

I am of the opinion that it is useless to employ a player who wants to go. If the Gunners cannot hammer out a deal with van Persie, then he should be sold. Imagine a scenario in which we do retain Robin for the final season of his contract. If he is adamant on leaving, then surely he will not give all of his heart for the red and white. In addition, van Persie could suffer through an injury-riddled campaign next season, and we could end up gaining no value for his departure next summer. Holding onto van Persie until his contract expires is not a smart football or business decision.

Patrick Vieira is also worried about how Arsenal will handle the Robin van Persie situation in the coming months. Though he currently works at Manchester City, Vieira is obviously knowledgeable about the way the Gunners operate. On Thursday, Vieira said:

“I think losing Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas last year was a big shock for the people who love Arsenal. If they lose Van Persie it will be a drama. With Samir and Cesc you could say, ‘OK those two are gone, but there is Jack Wilshere and Van Persie still at the club’. But if Robin leaves who is behind? If he leaves it’s going to be difficult for Arsenal to keep the top players, next year it may be Theo Walcott, then Jack Wilshere. But if they keep Robin they’re going to send a positive message to all the clubs and to all the people around. It’s really important to keep him.

“I’m quite surprised his contract (which is entering its last year) has got to this stage. It’s really difficult to find players of the quality of Robin Van Persie with one year left around the world and there will be a lot of teams who will want a player like him, not just Manchester City [who Vieira now works for]. They should have settled this a long time ago, but Arsenal don’t need me to tell them that. That’s the way it is and they will have to deal with it. There’s still a year, he’s not gone yet.

“Robin wants to win trophies. Arsenal have to show him he can do it with Arsenal. The best way for them to get him to sign a contract is to bring players to the club who can show him that the club are in the same line as him.

“We know how Robin loves Arsenal, that’s not the question; the question is how Arsene Wenger will convince Robin they can win trophies.

“Arsenal has qualified for the Champions League again but it’s not enough. I’m sure that if you ask Arsene he’ll say, ‘of course it’s not enough’. All the people at the football club will tell you it’s not enough.

“They’ve been quite close [to winning trophies] for quite a long time. They’ve got a lot of young players so over the years they can get experience and they’re going to be better players. The first step is to keep all the quality players and the talent.” (Source: The Independent)

Vieira’s anaylsis is interesting; however, it is not totally correct. If Arsene Wenger and his players were able to overcome the loss of their three top midfielders (Cesc and Na$ri left and Wilshere was injured for the entire season), then why can’t they handle the departure of van Persie? Time after time, Arsene Wenger has had to deal with a depleted squad, yet his teams always seem to avoid a total collapse. Arsenal existed before Robin van Persie, and they will surely exist without him if he decides to leave.

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Arsenal set for negotiations with Robin van Persie

  By jtom | 15/05/2012 - 7:30 AM | Robin van Persie, Transfer News
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Robin van Persie will meet with Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis on Wednesday. The Gunners hope they can convince van Persie to stay at the Emirates Stadium by offering a record-breaking contract and explaining Wenger’s vision for the club. If Arsenal are unable to hook the Dutchman, Manchester City will be ready to pounce.

According to the BBC, van Persie, Gazidis, and Wenger will rendezvous at Wenger’s house on Wednesday at approximately 10:30 BST. At the meeting, Gazidis and Wenger hope to induce van Persie into signing a new Arsenal contract, though a deal is unlikely to be finalised before the Dutchman departs England for Euro 2012 training.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph have reported that van Persie will be offered a £130,000 per week contract for either three or four years. Also included in the deal will be a £5 million signing-on fee. If RVP accepts the proposal, he would become the highest-paid player in Arsenal’s illustrious history.

Arsene Wenger is expected to attempt to entice van Persie by painting a picture of Arsenal’s future. The French manager will declare Arsenal’s dream of capturing major silverware in the coming years. While that may seem laughable to some Arsenal critics, Wenger and Gazidis will discuss potential transfer activity to provide evidence for their vision. Apparently, van Persie fully endorsed the signing of Lukas Podolski.

In any event, Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis will try their best to impress van Persie. However, if their plan fails, Manchester City—and a plethora of other top clubs—are prepared to strike. According to The Mirror, the new Premier League champions are willing to hand van Persie a £250,000 a week contract. Bearing in mind that the Dutch striker currently makes £90,000 per week, that would be a massive pay rise.

Yet the Gunners appeared determined not to let another player leave for Manchester City. Arsene Wenger has said previously that he would not sell van Persie to City, and reports have indicated that the Dutchman would not be keen on moving to an English club.

The season has just ended, and the drama surrounding van Persie’s future will continue unless a new contract is agreed to before the European Championship.

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No thanks! Van Persie won’t go to Juventus

  By jtom | 10/05/2012 - 7:30 AM | Robin van Persie, Transfer News
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Optimism is in the air at the Emirates Stadium as reports indicate that Robin van Persie will reject any offer from Juventus. However, Barcelona and Real Madrid still remain the primary choices for the Dutchman if he leaves Arsenal.

According to The Guardian, Robin van Persie is not interested in a move to a Seria A club. This is significant because new Italian champions Juventus have already publicly expressed their wish to sign the Dutchman. The general director of Juventus, Giuseppe Marotta, said:

“Van Persie is a great player. He is a complete player and would be useful to any team. But he still has one year left on his contract with Arsenal. We will try to put the icing on the cake this summer but the important thing is that the mix is good.” (Source: calciomercato.com)

Barcelona and Real Madrid are the main contenders in the battle for Robin van Persie. Still, Arsenal have the advantage because van Persie’s contract does not expire until the end of next season. As we have posted about previously, Arsenal will meet with van Persie and his representatives before the start of Euro 2012. If the Spanish giants have any hope of prying the Dutchman away from North London, they will need to submit a massive bid. Dominic Fifield of The Guardian is reporting that Arsene Wenger is under no pressure from the board to sell van Persie, and Wenger has said in the past that he would consider holding onto the Dutchman for the last year of his contract.

According to The Daily Mail, Robin has told friends and family that only an “extraordinary offer” from one of European football’s superpowers could force him to leave Arsenal. The Dutchman and his family are very happy and settled in London; the van Persie family has just moved into a new house.

The meeting between the Dutchman and Arsenal, which is expected to occur shortly after the season concludes, may decide whether van Persie stays at the Emirates Stadium. According to The Mirror, the Gunners will probably offer a £5 million signing-on fee to van Persie. In addition, any potential new contract awarded to RVP will break Arsenal’s current wage structure according to The Guardian.

If all of this information is to be believed and combined, the chance of van Persie leaving appears to be slim. Of course, as Gooners, we should realise that everything can change suddenly once a huge bid comes in from Real Madrid or Barcelona. Still, it’s nice that there is a feeling of hopefulness surrounding an Arsenal transfer saga for once.

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Van Persie talks about his future, Podolski, and more!

  By jtom | 04/05/2012 - 7:20 AM | Robin van Persie
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After he was presented with the Football Writers’ Player of the Year Award, Robin van Persie spoke openly about his future at Arsenal and the signing of Lukas Podolski.

Regarding his future plans, van Persie said: “We haven’t set a date but I will have a meeting with the boss like we did before now. We will be having a meeting about my future, and lots of other things.”

”Arsenal is an unbelievable club. The player I am today is because of Arsenal. When I actually signed the deal (to join Arsenal) it was a dream come true.

”If you ask the likes of Robert Pires how he feels, what he feels like he will say ‘I feel like a Gunner’ – and whatever happens with me I will always be a Gunner.” (Source: ESPN)

Only positive vibes can be detected from Robin’s comments at the Football Writers’ Association gala dinner on Thursday night. A pessimist may say that van Persie was just acting professional in front of the media, but the dire implications of van Persie’s possible departure have made many Arsenal supporters hopeful, though not completely optimistic given our club’s recent transfer history.

Perhaps Lukas Podolski’s arrival at the Emirates Stadium will send a clear, favourable signal to van Persie. The Dutchman reacted to the Podolski announcement as he collected his Player of the Year Award:

“He’s a really good player. I know that he has played over 90 games for Germany. He’s an experienced player. He’s been in the game at the highest level for more than eight years now. Great player, he’s a winner.

“When we were playing against Cologne in pre-season you could see that he’s a winner. Even if it was a friendly, he was doing absolutely everything to win. We are very happy for him to come to Arsenal.” (Source: ESPN)

If all goes well, van Persie and Podolski can form a winning partnership at the top of Arsene Wenger’s formation. Ship off Bendtner and Chamakh; neither players is a “winner,” and the Dutchman definitely believes Podolski is the right man to help the Gunners to victory. Assuming Wenger continues with the 4-3-3 for next season, our crop of forwards will be impressive. That group will likely include van Persie, Podolski, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Gervinho.

Of course, the vital component of this Arsenal team is Robin van Persie. And the Dutchman has been recognised as a truly great player by the football world. Always humble, van Persie was astonished at his Player of the Year honor:

”It makes me very proud to be here, I have seen the list [of previous winners], and for me, I never really thought I would be sitting here winning this trophy,” Van Persie said.

”But even this season I was not really thinking about winning a trophy for myself, I was just playing because I love it and for Arsenal to finish as high as possible in the league.

”When I found out I had actually won it, I was a bit surprised, and was like ‘what me? really?’ It makes me really proud to be part of that history.”

Van Persie was the only person surprised.

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Wenger: Arsenal will keep Robin van Persie

  By jtom | 10/03/2012 - 7:43 AM | Arsene Wenger, Robin van Persie, Transfer News
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Roberto Mancini recently declared Manchester City’s interest in Robin van Persie, but Arsene Wenger was quick to dismiss any notion that the Dutchman is unsettled at the Emirates Stadium. Meanwhile, Cesc Fabregas did another interview about Arsenal and Jens Lehmann could join the Gunners’ coaching staff.

Robin van Persie’s contract does not expire until the end of next season, though that has not stopped a constant firestorm of rumours erupting surrounding his future. Arsene Wenger left no room for misinterpretation when he said: “We will not lose anybody to Manchester City, or to anybody else, because we want to keep our players. We want to keep Robin van Persie, that is clear; we will do everything possible to extend his contract, that is clear and, apart from that, I can only let people talk.

“I don’t mind [what Mancini said on Wednesday]. I read what Mancini said. It’s not so bad. At our level, we are professional people. I believe if you are to have one quality, it is not to be unsettled because what is said of you by other clubs is part of the job. I would just like to specify that Robin is not at the end of his contract. He is under contract until 2013.” (Source: The Guardian)

Wenger made similar comments about Samir Na$ri and Cesc Fabregas only days before both players left. However, the manager explained that he will handle van Persie’s situation differently:

“I was very adamant [over Nasri at the time] but at the end of the day, it was a difficult situation to manage. We had the players and we felt after the pre-season tour that [Aaron] Ramsey and [Jack] Wilshere could work in midfield and we could add somebody more, and if a player didn’t want to extend, where do we go from there … but we’ll see. We do our best to keep our best players.” (Source: The Guardian)

Others think that Arsenal will sign Lukas Podolski to replace the Dutchman, but Wenger made it clear that “our plan is to keep van Persie, even if we buy any player.”

Unfortunately, Wenger has a habit of making wide-ranging (and sometimes ridiculous) statements during his press conferences. Last summer, right before Na$ri and Cesc left, Arsene (incorrectly) said that there would be no players leaving North London during that transfer window, and the comments he made on Friday seem eerily similar. Many Arsenal supporters are already tired of transfer sagas, but it does appear that the Robin van Persie edition will only continue to heat up from here.

Cesc Fabregas talked about Arsenal again, this time in an exclusive interview with The Guardian. He spent plenty of time speaking about his dream-come-true in the Camp Nou, but he mentioned our club quite a bit as well.  About the recent struggles of Arsene Wenger, Cesc said: “Whatever he suffered I suffered it as well. We feel the same and we always try our best. The boss is very strong and he believes in the club so much I am sure he will find a means to bring Arsenal back to where it belongs. I have no doubt because he’s a great man. He knows when he is wrong and when he is right. He will find a way – for sure.”

The whole part about Fabregas “suffering” is odd, because for most of the interview he explains how it is has been heaven to play alongside Messi and Xavi. He talks about how he loves the drive and ambition the Barcelona players possess and how he adores training with Pep Guardiola everyday. It’s all a bit sickening really. Cesc was a terrific player for us, and it was a joy watching him play, but perhaps he should close his mouth about our club. Or at the very least, stop accepting interviews about Arsenal once every two weeks.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal have a coaching position waiting for Jens Lehmann once the former keeper receives the correct paperwork from UEFA. It is expected that Lehmann will complete his training with the Welsh FA and take the job as a coach for the Arsenal Reserves. However, the German Federation has a problem with Lehmann leaving for Great Britain after beginning his coaching training in Germany. In fact, he is currently in a row with the German Federation over this issue. Intrigue is always present in the life of Jens Lehmann!

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Arsenal to open contract talks with Robin van Persie

  By jtom | 21/02/2012 - 12:30 PM | Robin van Persie, Transfer News
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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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Arsenal AGM and Van Persie contract talks

  By jtom | 28/10/2011 - 6:56 AM | Robin van Persie
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Arsenal’s annual general meeting was held on Wednesday. Arsene Wenger gave a powerful speech, while Stan Kroenke’s comments supplied supporters with little insight. Shareholders were clearly frustrated with chairman Peter Hill-Wood. Reports are saying that the Gunners have opened up contract negotiations with Robin van Persie.

Wenger’s speech at the meeting was clearly from his heart. He stood up for the values of our club and the class with which the club operates (from Daily Mirror):

“I believe that the values we defend are highly defendable because we want to do things with class. We want of course to be very ambitious. We want to be very brave. I believe that this club has always been very brave in its decisions. The courage is a quality I admire because it is a highly needed quality in the modern world.”

Arsene believes that the fans need to get behind the team, and together Arsenal can achieve success. Wenger said that he believes that his squad have the right attitude and are ready to fight. He said this near the end of his speech (from Daily Mirror):

“And if I just would like to achieve one thing today it is: trust us, this team has qualities, this team will fight.”
 
 
Stan Kroenke took a few minutes to introduce himself to the shareholders and supporters. The American majority shareholder has been quiet since his takeover last season. He was interested in several European clubs, but decided to go with Arsenal because of several factors including the ”tremendous management at the top,” “wonderful manager,” and our club’s ”tremendous following” of supporters.
 
Kroenke ended his time at the podium with a promise (from Arsenal.com): “Suffice to say we are glad to be here, we’re happy with the direction of the Club and we’re here for the long-term. We love London and you’d better get used to seeing me and my family because we’ll be around.”
 
Gooners really were not enlightened by Kroenke’s comments. He didn’t reveal too much of anything, and he began his speech by wondering why he was even addressing the crowd in the first place. It would be nice to see Kroenke attend more matches. The American is expected to be at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
 
Chairman Peter Hill-Wood did not receive a warm welcome from the minor sharholders, who are mostly made up of passionate Gooners. While I did not attend the AGM, the consensus is that Hill-Wood continually dodged questions like a trained politician.
 
One shareholder apparently called for Hill-Wood to quit and for the return of David Dean. The audience responded with a chrous of clapping. Of course, Hill-Wood refused to step down.
 
But Hill-Wood doesn’t really hold much power. He is mainly a figurehead who sometimes speaks to the media and addresses the shareholders. He clearly disrespects minor shareholders and supporters, but getting rid of him may not do much good. I doubt we will ever see Dein back either.
 
Chief executive Ivan Gazidis is certainly far more involved in the decision-making at our club than Hill-Wood. Gazidis’ speech was mainly more of the same. Arsenal believe in the self-sufficient model. Arsenal are expanding their influence world wide. Every club is striving to do things the Arsenal way. You get the idea.
 
We really did not learn much at all from this year’s meeting… except that nothing is changing. The board will not react to the poor start to the season differently than they have done every other year. Wenger’s speech was the highlight, and the audience seemed to be behind him.
 
The BBC are reporting that Arsenal have started talks with Robin van Persie about a contract extension. But it seems as if the headline in the BBC story is misleading. Writer David Ornstein sent out this Twitter message: “Breaking: Wenger tells me Arsenal have started talks with Van Persie over a new contract. Story across BBC outlets soon.”
 
When the story was posted, it explicitly said that negotiations have not officially begun. Wenger told the BBC regarding van Persie: “He has 18 months to go and I’m confident he’ll sign a new deal. I’m always confident.”
 
Arsene said similar things about Nasri and other players in the past. Unfortunately, Ornstein had to get every Gooners hopes up by tweeting a misleading message before the article was published.
 
Check back soon for a full preview of the match at Stamford Bridge.
 
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Van Persie’s Arsenal future in doubt

  By jtom | 26/09/2011 - 7:00 AM | Robin van Persie, Transfer News
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Robin van Persie said he does not want to negotiate a new contract with Arsenal at this time. Arsene Wenger compared the Dutchman to Lionel Messi and said that he does not think that Van Persie will leave the Emirates.

The Dutchman’s contract at Arsenal runs until the end of next season, and the rumours are starting already.

Van Persie said (from The Guardian): “I still have almost two years left, so for the moment that’s fine. I’m happy with my contract. I can’t look into the future. I can’t see us talking now because we are so busy. Maybe we will leave it until the end of next season”

Manchester City are rumoured to be interested in RvP, but Arsene Wenger said he does not expect the Dutch striker to go (from The Guardian): “It’s true that we had a meeting during the summer. It is understandable that he would want that when you lose players such as Fabregas and Nasri. I don’t think we will lose him.”

Wenger also said that no one would be leaving Arsenal shortly before Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas did just that. City are clearly trying to weaken our squad while strengthening their team. Reports say that Manchester City would have to pay £ 30 million for Van Persie. That is a low value considering the price paid for flops like Fernando Torres (£50m) and Andy Carroll (£35m).

People will point to his injury-riddled past, but I would rather have Van Persie for half a season than Andy Carroll for the full season. As for Fernando Torres, he is starting to score but his mistakes are glaring. When healthy, the Dutchman is a more consistent player than either of the high-priced stars.

Arsene Wenger praised Van Persie after his 100th goal for Arsenal (from Goal.com): “I see similarities positional-wise with Messi. He comes deep, he likes to turn up front as well.

“Like Messi he doesn’t play like a real centre forward but when you look at his movement around the box he is very intelligent and goes on diagonal runs. I always thought his first touch was so good that he can make a difference even in a tight space.”

Simply put, Messi is at a higher level than Van Persie. The Dutchman is a really good player, but he is not one of the best players in the world. Messi has so many elements to his game, and it helps that he plays alongside Xavi, Iniesta, and now Cesc. Van Persie may think he can reach that high level if he leaves the Emirates.

In other news, Theo Walcott only has a “minor” injury. He fell to the ground in pain at the end of the 3-0 victory against Bolton on Saturday. It was a strange moment because no Bolton player was anywhere near Theo. According to The Guardian, Walcott is expected to play against Olympiacos on Wednesday night and, more importantly, against Spurs on Sunday.

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Arsenal 3-0 Bolton: Van Persie double dooms Bolton

  By jtom | 25/09/2011 - 7:00 AM | Match Report, Premier League, Robin van Persie
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Robin van Persie scored two goals against Bolton, including his 100th for Arsenal. The Gunners came out firing in the second half, and dominated the match after Bolton centre-back David Wheater was shown a straight red card.

Arsenal were tentative in the first half, but the Dutchman hit the net less that a minute into the second period. Van Persie took the pass from Aaron Ramsey and blasted the shot near-post. Jaaskelanien was caught standing straight up, and the low, powerful strike was too much for the keeper.

Arsene Wenger needed his team to score another goal against the 10-man Wanderers to close the match out. Van Persie completed his century of Gunner goals in the 71st minute. Theo Walcott broke free down the wing and sent a low cross towards the Dutchman. RvP finished it off with a tap from the outside of his foot.

Surprisingly, it was Alex Song who scored Arsenal’s third. He curled the ball into the upper corner in the 89th minute. Song’s strike was the best goal of the day, but it will be Robin who takes the praise for the win.

David Wheater was sent off with a straight red in the 55th minute. Aaron Ramsey played a perfect through ball to Theo Walcott. Theo had too much pace for Wheater, and the Bolton center-half pulled him to the ground. It was a clear break, so Wheater had to go.

Walcott was terrific. He burned the Wanderers’ back four throughout the match, but especially after Bolton went down to ten men. Unfortunately, Theo fell to the ground in pain in the 90th minute. No one was around him, so it looks like it could be a muscle tear. After the match, Wenger gave an update on the injury (from Arsenal.com):

“I don’t really know [what is wrong]. I thought it was a classic hamstring but it is not. He felt a sharp pain in his knee and at the moment he is with the doctor. I don’t know what the diagnosis will be but it is completely surprising. There was no one near him. I don’t know what they will do, whether they will have a scan tonight, I will have to speak to the medical people.”

The Wanderers created their best chance of the match only two minutes into the game. Darren Pratley stabbed the ball towards the Arsenal goal, and Szczesny made a brilliant save. If it would have gone in, I doubt that the Gunners would have been able to recover.

Bolton were blocking shots right and left in the first half. Arsenal couldn’t seem to find an opening. Whenever a chance did seem to arise, the Wanderers were diving to get in the away of the shot. The Bolton defensive display in the first half should provide a lesson to the Arsenal defenders.

Wenger reflected on the first half after the match (from Arsenal.com): “I felt that in the first half we were a bit impatient sometimes, that we didn’t move the ball quickly enough, that our midfielders came a bit deep because we were man-marked. That exposed us a bit to counter-attacking and we had less support up front.”

Kieran Gibbs preserved the lead when Bolton had a dangerous counter-attack in the 63rd minute. Chris Eagles was put into space by Martin Petrov, but Gibbs raced back to force Eagles into taking a long-range shot.

Arsene Wenger said he believes that giving Van Persie the armband has helped the Dutchman become a better Arsenal player (from Arsenal.com): “I think he is one of these guys who develops with responsibilities. You would think he is not natural at the start but when he has the responsibility he really grows well into the role. I have observed him and he does very well.”

Despite the victory, the media are continuing the criticise the Gunners. Headlines across the country are saying things such as “Arsenal in trouble despite Bolton win.” The Daily Mail even has a story linking Robin van Persie with a move to Manchester City. While the victory over the Wanderers wasn’t perfect, it was a refreshing considering the recent performances.

Robin van Persie became the 17th player to score 100 goals for Arsenal Football Club. He was the driving force behind the Gunners in their 3-0 win. Arsene Wenger was smiling for the first time in quite a while, and Arsenal fans were chanting his name near the end of the match. Arsenal’s next test will come against Olyimpiacos in the Champions League at Ashburton Grove.

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Wenger blasts players; Van Persie “frustrated”; New coach?

  By jtom | 20/09/2011 - 7:00 AM | Arsene Wenger, Robin van Persie
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Arsene Wenger criticised his players  for Arsenal’s troubles at the back. Robin van Persie is “frustrated” with at the Gunners inability to respond to poor performances. Rumours are swirling over a possible new defensive coach to sort out the problems.

Wenger said that his squad’s terrible defending this season is due to “a lack of concentration, a lack of communication, a lack of co-ordination and individual urgency.” (from The Sun)

What Wenger said was obvious to the rest of the world, but it is good to finally hear it from him. Arsene usually never criticises his players in public like this. He is famous for defending his boys at all costs, but Wenger decided now was the time to let out his growing frustrations.

He continued: “When you score an own goal, you have to look at yourself. It is never completely out of your reach where you have no chance at all. Our season depends now on how well we respond to this disappointment and how quickly we can cut out the mistakes we made on Saturday by giving away goals that we should never give away.”

Wenger is correct. If the Gunners continue on the current course, we could be looking at a mid-table finish or worse. Something needs to change, whether it is the philosophy or the confidence does not matter. The Bolton match on Saturday at the Emirates is huge for our season.

Robin van Persie said he is “frustrated” with the team this season. He told Arsenal.com: “There is lots of time [left this season], but at some point you need to pick yourself up and prove what you are capable of. We are not doing that at the moment and are not consistent enough.

“It just frustrates me, and it is happening too often. Every time we start positively we just keep making the same mistakes and that is surprising.

“It’s very important [to get back on track]. Even before the game on Saturday I said to the boys, ‘today is a big, big day’. We have to get back-to-back wins, and we just cannot do that at the moment. That is our aim for the next couple of games, we have to win them after each other.”

Van Persie may be the next to leave if Arsenal continue to slip. The Dutchman does not have long left on his contract, and he certainly will not want to be the captain of a sinking ship in the prime of his career. If RVP goes, the Gunners will add “scoring goals” to their long list of problems.

In light of poor defensive displays of late, conflicting reports are coming out surrounding a new defensive coach. Many Gooners have been calling for a new face on the bench. The most likely candidates are Martin Keown and Steve Bould. According to the Daily Mail, many inside the club want Wenger to appoint a coach in an attempt to improve the defending.

The report says that Wenger was reluctant to change his coaching staff, but he may change his mind after watching his team score two own goals against Blackburn.

According to The Guardian, Wenger will stay loyal to current coaches Boro Primorac and Pat Rice and not add a new coach.

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