Arsenal

Why Arsenal should allow Robin Van Persie to leave – May 25th 2012

This doesn’t look like it’s heading in a good direction for Arsenal.

Goal.com is reporting that the North London side have denied Robin Van Persie permission to talk to other teams, as negotiations over a new contract have stalled.

That in itself is not in any way a reason to believe that he’s definitely leaving, but it’s starting to look more and more like he wants to – or that he at least wants to explore his options.

Arsenal’s official position here seems to be that they would rather their captain left on a free next year, than was purchased by another club this Summer. That’s understandable, but it doesn’t mean that it’s right.

Letting Van Persie leave the club for free may very well be financially viable, but it’s not a sensible option. If someone’s willing to pay £20m+ for a 29 year-old forward, then that’s a conversation that has to be entertained. That’s a lot of money for a player of that age, and it could really help Arsene Wenger to cure some of the deficiencies in his side.

Do Arsenal really think that by preventing Van Persie from talking to other clubs, they’re going to obscure from him the opportunities that exist elsewhere? Clearly not. All that we’re seeing here, is the breakdown of a relationship – if the player isn’t allowed to talk to other teams, then he will resent it. The rights and wrongs of the situation aren’t really relevant, because the modern player doesn’t care about them. If he speaks to another club, and then decides to stay, then great – because he can have no complaints and he will remain happy and willing.

What also has to be considered, is that Van Persie will most likely not replicate this season’s form next year – and then not only does letting him leave for free in 2013 become lost revenue, it becomes a lost opportunity.

Samir Nasri antagonising Arsenal fans again – May 15th 2012

Even for a footballer this is incomprehensibly immature.

Here are some quotes made by Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri to French radio station TF1:

“People at Arsenal tried to make out that I came here for the money.

I hope they are watching me now collecting my Premier League winner’s medal.

I believe they have not won a trophy for many seasons now. If all that I was interested in was money, the easiest decision would have been to stay at Arsenal, picking up my money every week and walking into the team.

There are many people doing this right now at Arsenal. I made the hard choice to come and fight for my place at a big club, where they never settle for second best, and I have proved it correct.

I now hope the Arsenal fans can get on with their lives and forget me, they should celebrate their third-place achievement and I will focus on winning titles.”

Come on now, you have to rise above this. Football fans berate ex-players all the time, it’s part of the game, and it’s also one of those evils that players have to accept as a trade-off for their exaggerated wages.

Maybe everybody was wrong, maybe financial reward had nothing to do with his decision to leave Arsenal, but comments like this make the Frenchman sound particularly childish. If Arsenal are such an afterthought to him now, then he should ignore that line of questioning – he’s a Manchester City player, and a title-winner, Arsenal shouldn’t even be factoring into his thought process. All this has done is stir up the hostility in the situation.

Not very smart at all.

I know, I know, you’re a professional athlete, therefore you believe that you can say and do whatever you want all the time, but at some point common sense has to prevail. And the comment about the Arsenal player ‘picking up money and walking into the team’? Be a man about it – if you’re going make those kind of accusations, then name names and face the consequences.

Careful young Samir, supposedly Eden Hazard has his eyes on your place in that City team…

Robin Van Persie getting his apologies ready – May 15th 2012

This is a concern.

Have a read of these quotes from Robin Van Persie – courtesy of the BBC:

“You never know but Arsenal is a massive club. Whatever happens, I’ll always love this club. I have been playing here for eight years and I love this club. Whatever happens that will never change. We will sit down next week.”

Those phrases are troubling. ‘Whatever happens’, ‘you never know’? Really Robin? This sounds very much like a player laying the groundwork for his exit. He’s softening the punch: ‘remember how long I’ve been here’, ‘think about how much I’ve given back to this club’.

No, just get this resolved – don’t talk about it, don’t start giving ambiguous quotes to the press. Arsenal are in the Champions League next year, so there are no excuses for Van Persie leaving, other than him actually wanting to move to a bigger club and potentially earn more money. If he loved the club – really loved the club – this contract would already have been signed.

There’s something not quite about right about this. Forget all the nonsense about not wanting to negotiate in the middle of a season, Van Persie has quite deliberately let his existing contract run down – it puts him in a better position to negotiate.

Don’t tell us about your love for the club – sign the extension and demonstrate it.

Why Robin Van Persie should stay at Arsenal – May 10th 2012

With Robin Van Persie insisting that he won’t address his contractual situation until after the European Championships, the saga of whether he stays at Arsenal is shaping up to be very boring indeed.

Get ready for a different paper to print a different rumour every day for the next six weeks. Brace yourselves.

Any time a player has the kind of season that the Dutchman has just had, there’s going to be interest from the vulture clubs around Europe – but if you add in an expiring contract to that situation, then times that interest by three. Arsenal are vulnerable if Van Persie doesn’t extend his deal, and the player and his agent will know that – if he wants to leave, then it’s going to be very hard to stop him.

But he should stay.

At Arsenal, he’s building himself a legacy. It’s rare for someone to have the kind of sustained purple patch that the Dutchman has this year, nobody at the club will ever forget it. If he decides to hand Arsene Wenger back the armband and head off to Spain next season, then that will be the defining memory of this year.

Certain players thrive on being a focal point within a team – they enjoy being the posterboy of a side and they relish the pressure that comes with it. It doesn’t necessarily follow though, that the same type of player will succeed in a more talented environment. Was Van Persie as prominent when this Arsenal side was stacked with quality? Was he as much of an offensive threat? No – obviously his development as a player is a factor in that, but it’s also a symptom of his mentality. Van Persie would only be a world-class performer at Arsenal.

This is Thierry Henry all over again. The Frenchman was a legend at Arsenal, he was bigger than the club at his peak – but on moving to Barcelona he became just another contributor. Yes, his age was a mitigating factor, but the drop off in his performances were too severe to be accredited solely to the passing of time.

Take this season out of the equation, and there’s a sense that Van Persie owes the Arsenal fans more than just one exceptional term. 2011/12 is the only year since he arrived in which he’s completed thirty league games or more – and also the only time he’s returned more than 20 league goals in a season. If he leaves this Summer, the retrospective on his career in North London will be a study of what could’ve been rather than what it was.

That would be a real shame, he should finish was he’s started.

Yann M’Vila: What Arsenal have bought – May 7th 2012

Mercifully, this seems to have come to an early conclusion – Arsenal have reportedly agree to sign Rennes midfielder Yann M’Vila. Lots of different sources, lots of different people confirming it.

M’Vila is a 21 year-old French international, and is the defensive midfielder Arsenal have lacked for a very long time; this is an excellent day for Arsene Wenger, this guy will be a top 5 player in his position in Europe for years to come. Outstanding.

There’s no point beating around the bush – here’s some video, this is what Wenger has added to his midfield. Look out Alex Song and Mikel Arteta… M’Vila is the prototype for the modern midfielder and Arsenal have got a gem.

Arsenal being linked with Dutch forward Bas Dost – May 3rd 2012

Life really isn’t much fun if you’re being linked to Aston Villa, so Bas Dost is likely a happier man this morning on seeing his name being mentioned in connection with Arsenal.

We say linked, but according to the various internet reports – all of whom presumably copied the rumour from each other – Arsene Wenger is merely monitoring the Dutch forward. A solid example of transfer rumour rhetoric.

Whether being linked or monitored, 22 year-old Dost has been incredibly impressive this season, returning a borderline absurd 30 goals from 22 league appearances for Heerenveen in the Eredivisie.

Scoff, you may, at the defensive standards in Holland, but those are similar numbers to what convinced Manchester United to bring Ruud Van Nistelrooy England all those years ago – and with Dost’s 6ft4 frame and playing habits, that’s not the worst comparison in the world.

This isn’t at the stage were it warrants a big description, we’ll wait for something a little more concrete first – but here’s some video…

Lukas Podolski: What Arsenal have bought – April 30th 2012

The Premier League Owl

So it’s finally been confirmed, Arsenal will sign Cologne forward Lukas Podolski in the Summer – no reports on the fee as of yet.

A phrase to describe the Polish-born German? High-octane. Why just score when you can break the net of the stanchion?

Eighteen goals and six assists in 26 appearances this season.

Here’s what Arsenal have bought…

Warning signs for Arsenal as Robin Van Persie ‘delays’ contract talks – April 27th 2012

It’s always a red flag when you hear this.

Supposedly Robin Van Persie wants to delay his contract negotiations until after the European Championship. The BBC are reporting that the Dutchman wants to see what kind of transfer movements Arsene Wenger will make in the Summer before committing to the club.

That’s probably true. However, any time a player defers a contractual decision until after an international tournament, there’s always a hidden motive – he wants to see what his options are. You can’t blame him, he’s twenty-eight, and this is his last chance to maybe move to a top-tier European club.

Arsene Wenger was questioned about this at his afternoon press-conference today, and responded by saying:

“I am confident [he will stay] for two reasons. First of all I want to convince him to stay here and to extend his contract.

Secondly he is not free at the end of this season – he has one year of his contract left anyway.”

All true. The problem is though, that if Van Persie doesn’t sign that new contract, Arsenal will most likely have to sell him this Summer – they can’t afford to potentially lose him for nothing. The year left on his contract is as good as irrelevant if he can’t be convinced to extend it.

Players who don’t want to sign new contracts will always say that they don’t want to negotiate mid-season, we’ve all got used to that. But it’s just not that valid as an excuse; the terms and conditions are thrashed out by a player’s management team and the club, it’s not as if the player is locked in a room after training. A player is just advised of the state of the negotiations, and the progress being made – is it really a distraction?

Nobody wants to see Robin Van Persie leave England, he’s such an asset to the league – but this is not heading in a good direction for Arsenal.

Arsenal rumoured to be circling Luciano Narsingh – April 27th 2012

Maybe Theo Walcott wants to have a quick look at the video below, because it’s a pretty demonstration of how a winger should use his pace. Don’t fancy it, Theo? Ok then…

This rumour has started appearing on a few sites – admittedly that’s probably just because they copy and paste each other’s content – and it has Heerenveen winger Luciano Narsingh on Arsene Wenger’s Summer shortlist.

Let’s be honest, probably not – but we’ve been waiting for the chance to post a video of Narsingh, as he’s one of the most exciting youngsters in Europe – one word to describe him? Rapid. But if you were allowed a second and third adjective, they might be ‘tricky’ and ‘creative’.

A bit of a tangent, but he’s an excellent pick-up on FIFA.

Narsingh is 21, and given Heerenveen’s status in the Eredivisie, he’s going to be moving on at some point. If that is this Summer, Arsenal really should try and involve themselves, because the most destructive quality in England will always be pace – and with a bit of refinement, this guy could become one of the most dangerous wide players in the league.

Oh, and he can do something with the ball once he gets past his full-back – that would be a bit of a novelty for Arsenal fans…

Arsenal supposedly in the hunt for Javi Martinez – April 23rd 2012

Another day, another Athletic Bilbao player being linked with a move to an English club – this time Javi Martinez and Arsenal.

If there’s any truth in Arsene Wenger’s reported interest in the 23 year-old Spaniard, you would think that it would revolve around Martinez’s abilities in midfield, rather than his more recent centre-back showings – although given the comparison you can draw between him and a young Vincent Kompany, having another defender of that calibre would hardly be a negative.

A couple of doubts though:

– Martinez, by consensus, is valued at around the £25m mark – and Arsenal have never paid that kind of money for a player.

– Manchester United are also rumoured to be interested, which would obviously stretch Arsenal’s resources if it came down to a battle between the two. Additionally, leaving Bilbao, because of the Basque-focus, is going to be a wrench for any player, and would probably be tempered more by joining a club at the summit of English football.

– Arsenal’s backline – for once – actually looks settled. The combination of Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen looks as secure as anything Wenger has had in recent seasons, and Alex Song is finally maturing into a holding player of discipline in front of them. So where’s Martinez’s place in that side?

This is all hypothetical, because Martinez is one of those names that you’ll be seeing in the gossip columns on a daily basis through the Summer – but it is an interesting new twist to hear Arsenal mentioned as possible suitors. We’ll see…

Arsenal being linked with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – April 20th 2012

This is really, really speculative, so beware.

One or two sites have noted that Dutch forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is stalling over his new contract at Schalke, and could very well be available in the Summer.

From the man himself, in an interview with German outlet Bild:

“There will be time to gather my thoughts after the season. Before then, I want to focus on scoring goals and not let myself be distracted at the European Championships.”

You should all know by now what that means – and its rough translation is ‘I want to see what offers there are in the Summer before I tie myself down”. Come on Klaas, nobody’s falling for that.

Last week, Spanish legend Raul confirmed that he won’t extend his Bundesliga stay beyond the end of the season, and so in Huntelaar’s mind, that probably makes the decision to have a look around a little easier.

Arsenal? Well, the Dutchman would be a really good addition – and he could occupy the more advanced forward role that Robin Van Persie has been forced to play this season. Obviously it’s not like Van Persie has exactly struggled in that position, but I think it’s fair to say that he’s better suited to being a slightly more deep-lying forward.

There’s no suggestion that Arsene Wenger is interested, or that Huntelaar is actually anywhere on Arsenal’s radar – but it would make sense in theory, and presumably spawn a million unwanted ‘double Dutch’ headlines.

Huntelaar’s one of those players who has never quite reached the heights projected for him. When he was at Ajax, it looked as if a career as a top European marksman awaited him, but following his failure at AC Milan he’s had to rediscover his level a bit at Schalke – still, I think he’d be a huge success in the Premier League, and would be an ideal partner for Van Persie at Arsenal.

Wenger has made worse decisions…

Shinji Kagawa should interest Arsenal – April 19th 2012

Sometimes you see a player, and you instantly think ‘oh, he’d fit in well at such-and-such a club’. With that in mind, join the dots between Shinji Kagawa and Arsenal. That would be a good fit.

For all the drooling over Bayern Munich’s stars, the real powerhouse side in the Bundesliga at the moment is Borussia Dortmund – of which Kagawa is an integral part. From his twenty-eight appearances this season, the Japanese has returned twelve goals and six assists.

As you’d expect with any elite Asian player, his fundamentals – first-touch, discipline, short range passing – are almost flawless, but he also, clearly, has that goal-scoring instinct that translates well into European football. From an Arsenal perspective, what makes him so appealing is his ability to play across the pitch, and to be a threat both centrally and in wide areas. With Andrey Arshavin likely to leave the club in the Summer, and Theo Walcott a constant disappointment, he’s the kind of player Arsene Wenger should be looking at.

Mario Gotze may be a more attractive option, but this is financially a more realistic one.

Supposedly Juventus are rather keen on him, but don’t be surprised if Wenger has Kagawa on his radar somewhere – his contract is up in 2013, so he’ll more than likely be moving before the start of next season.

Five players who Arsenal should axe over the Summer – April 19th 2012

Sebastien Squillaci

Squillaci is to Arsenal’s defence, what the recession has been to global morale. Mercifully, the Frenchman has only made 6 league appearances all season, yet the horrifying prospect of seeing him play for the first-team still looms large over the Emirates Stadium.

Doesn’t really appear to have any strengths, hence the downside of allowing him to move is a confident zero – of Squillaci was a car, he would’ve been melted down already.

Andrey Arshavin

With one foot already out of the door, Arshavin needs to be given a firm shove through it in the Summer. Aside from some fleeting brilliance at the beginning of his time at the club, his tenure at Arsenal is going to be remembered for the complete absence of application he showed for the vast majority of his playing minutes.

Ineffectual doesn’t cover it. Disinterested, flippant, and lazy are all better-fitting synonyms.

Marouane Chamakh

It says a lot when a player who arrived on a free-transfer is generally considered retrospectively to have been a waste of resources. It’s hard to hold Arsene Wenger for Chamakh’s failure at Arsenal, because during the Moroccan’s time at Bordeaux he did show a lot of promise – in the Champions League no less.

The reality though, is that he’s just not good enough to play any kind of role at a club of Arsenal’s size – not as a starter, a substitute, or even as part of a free-kick wall in training.

There’s going to come a time when Robin Van Persie’s form dips, or he gets injured, and the prospect of Chamakh having to fill that role is terrifying. Sell him back to France, and use the funds – limited funds – to bring in more capable back-up. Or, and here’s an idea, don’t loan a credible second forward to Sunderland next season.

Theo Walcott

Never has someone blessed with such an array of natural gifts been so utterly disappointing on a frequent basis.

As has been said on this site many times, what’s the value of having so much pace if you’re not able to capitalise on being in the positions it puts you in? So flagrant is his misuse of the ball, and so poor is his decision-making, that having him play wide-right is sometimes akin to giving the opposition another full-back.

Stalling over a new contract, Theo? Careful, that ‘promising’ tag won’t last forever.

Abou Diaby

Perennially crocked and under-valued. If Arsene Wenger simplified Diaby’s role at the club, he could be a real asset to the team – maybe some type of physical ball-winner role? Just an opinion…

In reality though, if he’s not going to be worked into the team, and Alex Song’s development would appear to be a sizeable barrier-to-entry, then he might as well be moved on and cashed-in. Song, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all ahead of him to fill midfield slots, and there doesn’t really seem to be a way back for the Frenchman.

Loan Progress: Arsenal’s Joel Campbell – April 18th 2012

This guy shouldn’t be forgotten about, and as soon as he actually qualifies for his work permit he could really add something to Arsenal’s front-line – he’s the out-and-out forward that could really compliment Robin Van Persie.

His time at Lorient hasn’t been a roaring success, three goals in nineteen appearances attests to that, there have been little glimpses of what he could become as and when he brings a little more refinement to his game.

The video is not the best, but still…

Press making as much as possible out of Robin Van Persie’s Barcelona hotel visit – April 17th 2012

Creating rumours is one thing, but wilfully misinterpreting something for the sake of a story is really just poor journalism.

Some highlights of the Daily Mail’s story about Robin Van Persie visiting the Barcelona team hotel last night:

“After losing his temper against Wigan, Robin van Persie decided to cool off with a visit to the Barcelona team hotel on Monday night.

The Arsenal striker – who refused to shake Gary Caldwell’s hand at the end of their shock 2-1 home defeat to lowly Wigan – was pictured leaving the Marriott hotel on Park Lane.

It is not yet known why Van Persie took the trip to the base of the Spanish giants, who are in London ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The Dutchman was spotted chatting with fellow countryman Ibrahim Afellay, who is part of the Barca party in the capital.

Van Persie may have also used the trip to catch up with his old Gunners pal Cesc Fabregas, who left the Emirates to rejoin his boyhood club last summer.”

‘It is not yet known why’? Really – so in no way is that faux-question answered by the two sentences that follow. Not even the bit about Ibrahim Afellay and Cesc Fabregas?

Where’s the ‘Van Persie makes late night visit to Marriot Hotel to recruit disaffected Barcelona players’ headline?

Yes, yes, all very ambiguous and clever, and I’m sure that will sell a few more papers – but Robin Van Persie has never made any suggestion that he’d be leaving Arsenal in the Summer, so let’s just stick to what’s actually true shall we.

Still harbouring concerns over Wenger’s management of Arsenal – April 11th 2012

As Arsenal’s season draws to a relatively successful close, supporters of Arsene Wenger are growing a little more vocal. The playground chimes of ‘we were right all along’ are ever more audible.

Certainly the case for Wenger’s tenure continuing at Arsenal has grown, but are we really at the stage where all disillusion and discontent with the Frenchman can be put to bed? No, I don’t so.

Matthew Syed writes in The Times this morning under the smug headline ‘Where are Wenger’s critics now?’ – sorry, but you won’t be able to actually read it without making a donation to Uncle Rupert. It’s safe to say that Syed is in the ‘In Arsene we trust’ camp, but for those who aren’t it’s surely fair to say that there’s still a case to answer.

What’s actually changed at Arsenal?

Sure, the landscape is whole lot more appealing than it was after the loss to Blackburn, or the humbling at Old Trafford, but a lot of the same issues still exist – the only real difference is that they’ve now been put into context by Chelsea’s slump and Tottenham’s implosion.

Without the recent stumbling from city rivals, and without Robin Van Persie’s extraordinary goal-return, Wenger would still be faced with a lot of questions about his philosophies and his decision-making – both areas that shouldn’t be without scrutiny in the Summer.

I’m a keen supporter of clubs showing their manager’s loyalty, and in no way do I think that Wenger should just be dismissed – but at the same time, the recent sequence of events shouldn’t disguise his continuing frailties.

A case in point? His transfer record. You can make a case for saying that none of the signings he made in August have been successful. I’m aware that Mikel Arteta scored on Sunday and so is in the midst of some ‘he’s better than Nasri/Fabregas/Vieira/Petit ever was’-style hyperbole, but really, he’s still just an Everton player with a red shirt on.

Per Mertesacker has been an enormous liability, and has never looked suited to the English game. Andre Santos can’t defend, and Chu-Young Park is quite evidently not in any way good enough for the Premier League.

It’s not great.

There was a thought prior to the North London Derby, that defeat to Spurs – although painful – might have been the best thing for Arsenal as it would have rammed home Wenger’s failings and jolted him into a different mindset. Obviously that didn’t happen, and the hammering of an inept Tottenham, a heroic exit at the first knockout stage of the Champions League to an average Milan side, and an extremely fortunate victory at Anfield have conspired to veil all the problems that still exist.

Arsenal are just as far away from silverware as they were at the beginning of the season.

The momentum at Arsenal at the moment is reminiscent of what happened to Liverpool at the end of last season. The pressure was off, nothing was as bad as it had been before, and the only way was up under Kenny Dalglish. Not so. The context of Roy Hodgson, Fernando Torres, and Hicks and Gillett just made everything seem better than it really was.

While the Arsenal situation isn’t as severe, Wenger shouldn’t be allowed to pass through the Summer without answering some pertinent questions – his continued faith in Theo Walcott, Marouane Chamakh’s place in the squad, the underuse of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and the squad’s alarming lack of depth. And yes, his transfer philosophy. .

Everything is certainly better, but everything is still not quite right.

Robert Pires: Top Ten Arsenal Goals – 5th April 2012

This video is worth your time purely for the goal against Villa.

Obviously a player of supreme technique and class, he wasn’t just a part of the great Arsenal team that Arsene Wenger built at the beginning of the millenium – he was integral to it.

Looked very French, played with a Gallic swagger, and for about six months of the 2001/02 season was the best player in the country.

Arsenal: 49 unbeaten games – 28th March 2012

I don’t care who you support – Man United, Chelsea, Tottenham – for a blend of artistry and ruthlessness, it’s very hard to make a case for any team being better than the one Arsene Wenger put together between 2003 and 2004.

Objectively of course, but in my mind this is the best team in Premier League history – certainly the most entertaining.

So, here are all the goals and reactions from the 49 game unbeaten run – encompassing the whole of the 2003/04 season. Invincible indeed.

Dennis Bergkamp: All 120 Arsenal Goals

Eleven minutes of pure technique.

Alongside Thierry Henry, you could definitely make a case for Dennis Bergkamp being the most important signing of Arsenal’s recent history – made, lest we forget, by Bruce Rioch.

Elegant, imaginative, and capable of doing whatever he wanted with a football, one of the original foreign stars in the Premier League, and still to this day one of the best.

That fallow spell at the beginning of 1995 seems unimaginable, especially given the eleven years of absolute quality that followed.

…and, because it’s Thursday and nearly the end of the week, you can have his stunning golden-goal against Argentina in World Cup 1998 – complete with some genius Dutch commentary.