Tag Archives: RVP

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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Henry returns to Arsenal

  By jtom | 18/11/2011 - 7:05 AM | Uncategorized
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The king is back… but only for training. Thierry Henry was at London Colney on Thursday as the Gunners prepared for Saturday’s match against Norwich. The season for the New York Red Bulls has just ended, so Henry will keep up his fitness by training with the first-team when possible.

Do not get your hopes up for an emotional, permanent return to North London. Remember that Henry did the same thing last year and he stayed in the MLS.

Of course, Thierry still looks completely at home in an Arsenal shirt. It never did look right to see him wearing the Barcelona or Red Bulls kit. Even though he is across the ocean, Henry still talks glowingly about his time at Arsenal and the club in general. He has hinted at a move back to the Emirates as a coach.

Arsene Wenger could actually use an experienced striker, even a 34-year old Henry. Marouane Chamakh has been nothing short of terrible this season and will be missing in January due to the African Cup of Nations. Ju Young Park still needs more playing time before we can evaluate him fully. Do not forget we will also be without Gervinho during the African Cup of Nations.

I don’t even want to type this, but what would happen if Robin van Perise sustained an injury and missed a large portion of January? Walcott would be the only regularly starting player at top, with Park at striker and Arshavin/Chamberlain on the other wing. This lack of depth in the forward position could persuade Wenger to make a loan offer to the Red Bulls for Henry.

But keep in mind that MLS clubs have been known to despise such loan attempts in the past. If nothing else, Henry’s presence in training will provide a boost to the squad. He can aide some of the younger players, who will surely look up to him as a legend.

Wilshere Improving

Jack Wilshere sent out this Twitter message on Thursday: “First day without crutches in a while! Feels so good!” The 19-year old midfielder is healing from the ankle injury that has caused to miss every match this season. According to the Daily Mirror, Wilshere has been cleared to start light training.
 
While it is great to hear about Jack’s improving condition, there is no need to rush him back. The team is on a fantastic run of form right now, and the long-term health of Wilshere is much more important than having him back a week or two early. No Gooner wants to see Wilshere lying on the ground in pain anytime soon.
 

Van Persie Credits Wenger for his Success

Robin van Persie has pointed to Arsene Wenger as the man who turned him into a goal-scoring machine (ESPN):  ”I’m so thankful I met him. When I was 20 he asked me, ‘Why are you not a top player yet?’ I said ‘Because of this, this and this.’ He told me to think about the reasons why and a couple of years later asked me again, ‘Are you a top player?’

“I again said, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ And he said, ‘Why not? Think about it.’ It was then I started to realise. He gave me a little bit of advice on certain things I was doing.

“He told me to think more about my actions. It was a conversation which lasted a year. Every couple of weeks he would refer to that conversation we had. He was giving me proof as well so I could go on and find my answer and I was finding answers all the time. He helped me big time.”

No one is questioning whether RvP is a top player anymore. The Dutchman is definitely the top striker in the Premier League, and one of the best in the world.

Wenger clearly knows how to motivate players to reach their potential. He picks players who are undervalued and helps turn them into top class footballers. Many times, when Wenger has brought the player to Arsenal, he reaches the peak of his performance. When the player leaves Arsenal, he is never able to reach that pinnacle again.

 

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Transfer Rumours: Van Persie, Pato, Grosskreutz, M’Vila

  By jtom | 09/11/2011 - 6:58 AM | Transfer News
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With such little Arsenal news to speak of during this break period, it is time that we caught up with some of the latest (and wildest) transfer rumours.

Inter Milan are reportedly targeting Robin van Persie for purchase in January. Arsenal have been linked with AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato. Dortumund midfielder Kevin Grosskreuts would welcome a move to his “favourite club” Arsenal. We often heard about Yann M’Vila during the summer, and it looks like Wenger may not yet have given up on buying the French midfielder.

According to the Metro, Inter Milan are planning to make a strong push to sign van Persie in January. The Metro piece cites reports out of Italy for the basis of the story.

Inter Milan could very well make an attempt to get RvP. They are flaundering near the relegation spots and could use the extra firepower. But I doubt Robin would want a move to Italy, let alone to a club that has not recovered from a poor start to the season.

According to Italian reports, Arsenal are ready to offer £35 million for AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato. The 22-year old Brazilian international may want to leave Milan because of playing time. Milan are stacked with strikers (Zlatan, Robinho, Cassano), so the club could choose to sell him.

Any reasonable Gooner would find it hard to believe that our club would offer this amount of cash for one player. If this deal was completed, it would more than double Arsenal’s record transfer fee. Pato is a fantastic player, who I would love to see at the Emirates, but a striker is not our most desperate need. Also, Wenger would have to change his formation to accommodate Pato or play the Brazilian on the wing.

Manchester City also have been linked with Pato. If Milan are shopping him, then the other super-rich clubs will certainly be ready to splash the cash.

Kevin Grosskreutz

Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Kevin Grosskreutz sparked rumours when he said this recently (from the Daily Mail): “If I do ever leave Dortmund, I would like to go to the Premier League in England, and my favourite club there is Arsenal.”

Grosskreuts is a 22-year old versatile attacking player who has 3 caps for Germany. He currently plays for his boyhood club, Dortmund, but he may consider the Premier League as a new challenge. This rumour, in my opinion, seems much more plausible than the Pato story.

Yann M’Vila was a frequent name in my “Transfer Rumours” posts during the last transfer window. The holding midfielder plays for Rennes, and one of his teammates at the French club, Kader Mangane, is tipping him for a move to North London (from Goal.com):

“He might go to England but he also likes the Spanish league. I don’t think he will leave in January but I think he will join Real Madrid or Arsenal next summer.”

We all know that Real Madrid are willing to pay astronomical transfer fees. It has come to the point where I really dread when another big European club is linked to a reported Arsenal target. If the club is Real Madrid, Chelsea, or Manchester City, then the rumour is close to dead. But maybe Wenger will be able to work that French connection to sign M’Vila.

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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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Transfer Rumours: RVP, Rodriguez, Kalou

  By jtom | 11/10/2011 - 7:00 AM | Transfer News
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The January transfer rumours are starting already. The Line-up: Anzhi Makhachkala are targeting several world-class stars, including Robin van Persie. Arsenal are close to signing 16-year old Jose Rodriguez from Real Madrid. Salomon Kalou could make a move to the Emirates in the winter.

Manchester City are not the only super-wealthy club who are hoping to sign Robin van Persie. Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala are looking to add high-priced stars, and captain Roberto Carlos named a few of their targets (quotes obtained from ESPN):

“Anelka is not the only player. Nene from PSG and Van Persie from Arsenal are players we are following. And Neymar? I talked to him. If Real, Barca or Manchester United cannot pay the transfer fee, we will pay it. Suleyman Kerimov can offer what he wants.”

Remember that Anzhi signed Samuel Eto’o away from Inter and made him the highest paid footballer in the world. If Robin is looking for an inflated wage bill, he should look no further. It is likely that the Dutchman would not want a move to Anzhi, where the players live in Moscow and only visit Makhachkala on match day due to the violence in the city.

Apparently, Anzhi want to offer Ashley Cole £200,000 per week. I assume that Cashley booked the first flight of the day to Moscow.

According to various sources, Arsenal are set to complete the signing of Real Madrid 16-year old midfielder Jose Rodriguez. The Gunners decided to move for Rodriguez after his player of the tournament display at U-17 world club championship. According to the Daily Mail, Rodriguez has been in London for two days preparing for the switch.

Wenger’s tastes are shifting. It used to be young French players, and now he fancies young Spanish players. Three teenagers (Ignasi Miquel, Hector Bellerin, John Miquel Toral) have been plucked from the Barcelona youth academy recently, and now Wenger is raiding the Madrid youth system.

The Daily Mail are reporting that Arsenal and Liverpool are interested in signing 26-year old Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou. Arsene Wenger originally wanted to sign Kalou from Feyenoord, but Chelsea won that battle. Arsenal are ready to offer £6 million for Kalou.

Kalou could form a nice attacking partnership with Gervinho. Both players know each other from the Ivory Coast national side.

Usually, I do not post about transfer rumours this early, but news is slow during the international break. Speaking of which, check back tomorrow for a full report on the Gunners who played for their country during the break.

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Gazidis: Arsenal don’t need Champions League

  By jtom | 07/10/2011 - 7:00 AM | Uncategorized
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The Starting Line-up: Ivan Gazidis said on Thursday that Arsenal can “cope” and “compete” without participation in the UEFA Champions League. Aaron Ramsey finds relief in playing for Wales after the poor start to his Arsenal season. Robin van Persie said that he is unsure of his future (again).

Let’s start with the chief executive of our football club. Ivan Gazidis spoke at a football conference, and he said that Arsenal will be fine without the money generated from the Champions League (from ESPN):

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis

“We would rather qualify for it but we have a really sustainable model that can cope without it. Not just cope, but we can do well and compete. It would be very foolish to build a business model that relied on being in the Champions League for perpetuity and I don’t think any clubs do that and, if they do, then they probably aren’t being run as responsibly as they should be.”

You have to be an extremely positive Gooner to believe that we will finish in the top four this season. Obviously, Arsenal’s budget does not need that £26 million (amount Arsenal made from the UCL last season) to run the club. But the Champions League is symbolic to players and supporters. Top players want to play in the competition, and supporters know their club is at an elite level when they watch them on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Gazidis went on: “Every club has the temptation to think that money is the answer to issues and if we only spend just a little bit more, it would push us over the top of a curve’ and that is what drives the cycle of spending that you see in the game and that is not by any means always what is successful, actually.

“It is tempting to think that it is. It relieves pressure for a while but actually builds long-term pressure in other ways. We will continue to act with discipline to make sure we have got a good short-term and long-term future.”

In case you have not heard Ivan, the short-term future for Arsenal is not looking too bright. We sit at 15th in the table, and our manager has already conceded that we are not title contenders this season. Long-term, especially if Financial Fair Play works as planned, looks fantastic. The question will be whether the Gunners can revive themselves and the reputation of the club, because the football-power slope is slippery.

Aaron Ramsey feels more pressure at Arsenal than he does playing for his country. He is the Wales captain, but he said that the Gunners’ poor start has made life at the Emirates frustrating (from ESPN):

“It’s been a difficult time for my club. It’s been quite frustrating so far with the performances we’ve shown in the last few games. But hopefully that can turn around pretty quickly.”

“Absolutely (it is easier to play for Wales). Arsenal, at the moment, are under a lot of pressure and we haven’t produced the results that we know we are capable of doing; everybody is surprised by that.”

To me, this is an obvious answer. At the international level, you feel the pressure, pride, and passion of your fellow countrymen. No disrespect for Welsh Gooners, but they were never expected to qualify for Euro 2012. At Arsenal, the expectation is success, and, when success is nonexistent, there will be more criticism to go around.

Robin van Persie, when asked about his future, said he does not know if he will remain at the Emirates Stadium (quotes obtained from ESPN): “I do not know [what I will do], I cannot predict the future. Everybody makes his own history and only afterwards can you see how that went.”

Regarding a possible move to Manchester City, van Persie said: “I do not know. For one thing, as an indication, when I came to Arsenal we immediately beat City. But in recent years much has happened in England.

“Nevertheless, I think the Premier League is still the best league in the world, it gives me everything I want.”

These comments make me sick to my stomach. The Dutchman has refused to deny the rumours, and he even acknowledged the rise of City. Robin is determined to play in the Premier League, but I doubt that he will be at Arsenal too much longer.

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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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