Van Persie Contract Talks & Summer Spending
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Thanks to everyone who read my piece on summer acquisitions yesterday. Sorry if anyone found the title misleading, it was supposed to do that. The idea was to impress how important it is to consolidate the team we have already and trim where we need to trim before entering the transfer market again. Arsenal have started to build too many teams over the past 7 years only to lose an important player in the summer or even a few unassuming players only to realise that we haven’t replaced them properly (Gilberto).
On May 16th 2012 at 10.30am Robin Van Persie will arrive at Arséne Wenger’s house for contract talks with Wenger and Arsenal Chief Executive, Ivan Gazidis.
I’m sure every Gooner out there is extremely nervous about this and will be keeping one eye on the sports news tomorrow desperately waiting to hear good news.
I believe these talks will be concluded quite swiftly for a number of reasons, and to the satisfaction of Arsenal supporters everywhere even if so grimly.
YES!!! I got a new contract with Arsenal
I blogged earlier this season about why I think Robin will stay and I also read an amusing piece from Dave Seager on how the talks would go if Carlsberg made contract talks.
I believe that the contract talks will be concluded quickly because Robin is due to meet up with the Dutch national squad on Thursday and the Dutch are very keen on not having any external distractions so I expect the contract talks to be over quickly as Robin will not have a chance to discuss his future until after the Euros as I also expect Holland to do very well and Arsenal will not want to wait so long to resolve his future.
Remuneration aside these are the two scenarios I see as the only two serious options on how the talks will conclude:
- Robin signs a new 4 year deal (3 year extension) to stay at Arsenal and it is announced some time on Thursday so he can go away and focus on the national team.
- Robin does not sign a new deal but accepts that Arsenal will not sell and that he is going to be an Arsenal player next season no matter what. This may be announced on Thursday so Robin can get away from the spotlight with the national team.
Scenario 1 is the ideal outcome for all Gooners but even scenario 2 will give most Gooners some grim satisfaction. Keeping Robin for next season is the most important thing.
There are rumours that Robin will go to City because his agent was spotted there but do not buy into this. Agents represent many players.
Also, Robin is not the type of player to leave us for another team in the same league and even with all of their riches I cannot see City paying us what he is worth.
Even with just a year left on his contract RVP is worth £26m to us to stay so to sell we would have to add at least 50% to that. I cannot see City paying £39m for a player in his final year even with their oil money.
I believe that scenario 1 is more likely because of the reasons outlined in my earlier post but also because this summer or next season will be our last season with financial “restraints”. In many ways next season is a bridge between our years of austerity and our future years of the prosperity promised to us when we moved to the Emirates. After next season we will be able to renegotiate most of our commercial deals and will be in a place, financially, where we should not have to rely on player sales to make a profit.
What this should mean is that Arsenal will have the money to spend big this summer, on paper at least, and will hopefully be able to convince Robin about our ability to strengthen and compete. Whether we do or not is a different story but we must be able to convince Robin we can.
I believe that with the tumultuous season we had and with all of our difficulties we should be able to convince Robin that with a fully fit squad, the new recruits fully bedded in strengthening our core and potential new signings on top of Podolski (which I honestly believe will be our only “marquee” signing but hope I am wrong) as well as another consecutive season in the Champions League proper (against the odds) will convince Robin that we have a shot.
With the new commercial deals coming after next season Arsenal can afford to open up the coffers and spend big this summer so I expect it to be an exciting year where signings that we do make won’t be teenagers we picked up for a relatively small fee. I’m not convinced by some of the names we’ve been linked with are what we need but if signing M’Vila and Vertonghen et al will convince Robin to sign then I say we just splash the cash. We’re certainly going to have it.
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Re: your comment at the top of the page. I am not a spud, I don’t do TWATTER, I have a life. Keep the faith
That’s a bit harsh mate. Just because I use Twitter doesn’t make me a twat. If you are on Twitter and you aren’t following me then you must be a Spud. If you’re not on Twitter no harm no foul.
After all Arsenal did for RVP, waiting for him through his injury. They stuck by him. he owe`s it to the club to sign.
Gunner for life.
I’m not sure he really “owes” the club. His goals since January 2011 have put us in the Champions League twice.
I think he will stay but because he believes we can compete and for his love for the club not because of a sense of duty or debt.
I dont really know why but I just have this believe and blind faith in Wenger and RVP and I think he will stay..
RVP is a clever chap and his advisors should be too, and evaluating his goals in comparison to his clear cut scoring chances he should know that he wont make it easily at other teams as the arsenal.
To be honest rvp is quite wasteful and I don’t see him scoring as many at other teams as at the Arsenal where he get a dozen chance in a game. THIS WOULD PLAY A BIG ROLE IN HIS DECISION TOO
Wondering why arsenal can’t pay RVP just like citeh offer.
Robin Van Persie said, ”I also want to win titles but in an Arsenal shirt, which still remains a dream.”
So it’s clear. Until and unless he doesn’t win a trophy with us he won’t go. Period. End of Discussion.
Don’t mean to be negative but I think he’ll go. He hasn’t looked to me like he has enjoyed playing for Arsenal at times this season – Let’s be honest, It must have been very frustrating for him at times and I just feel that comments he’s made recently – and more to the point what he hasn’t said, point to him leaving us. Arsenal have said they’d make players see out their contracts in the past and never stuck to it, it wouldn’t look too good on the club if they did anyway and the board would rather grab any money they can get their hands on than let him go for free in a year imo. I’d go as far as to say that he WILL stay in England and will end up at either City or United. He has a young family that love living in England that he won’t want to up-root too much yet he’ll want the best chance he can get of winning some trophies and getting the best wages possible from his last big deal and my bet is he sees that away from the Gunners. This is just my opinion, maybe I’m a pesimist and you’re the optimist but I’m just going on what has happened in the recent past.
Thanks for the comments Dan.
I understand what you mean but let me tell you my interpretation of his body language. I don’t think he hasn’t enjoyed playing at times, I think those times he just looked knackered. Remember he hasn’t played a full season in a very long time. It is bound to affect him.
I believe he has to be cagey about his contract because he can’t say “I’m staying” or “I want to stay” and then Arsenal sell loads of players or offer him a crap contract. If he gets what he deserves and assurances then I believe he will stay.
I haven’t seen Arsenal do this. In fact I remember them letting Edu and Flamini see out their contracts. Nasri was sold because City were willing to pay silly money and he wasn’t that influential. 4 good months doesn’t make for an integral part of the team.
I can’t see this happening because Robin is an honourable guy plus Wenger has said categorically that he will not sell another player to City.
I touched on all of this back in March with my “Why Captain Vantastic Will Stay” post and yes his family is settled but they are settled in London so if he moved clubs his family would need to settle elsewhere so why not just move overseas. If he leaves I believe it will be to go abroad but because his family love where they live so much I believe that he will stay at Arsenal. His entire family love Arsenal and they love living in London. I cannot see a situation where his family would endorse or push for a move to Manchester. Robin’s family are more important to him that winning trophies. If he feels he can get trophies, money and family happiness at Arsenal he will stay. This will be what Wenger and Gazidis need to convince him of tomorrow.
We’ll know soon enough but I suspect you will be relieved and happy to be wrong 😉
I will be happy if I’m wrong of course! As I said it’s just my opinion based on how I’ve seen things unravel. I have obviously read your replies and see nothing you have wrote is far fetched or out of the question at all, Infact alot of your reasoning has ran through my mind at some point when I have considered reasons for him staying but for some reason, having weighed up both scenarios I’m leaning towards him leaving unfortunately 🙁 Hopefully we’ll get some sort of difinitive answer tomorrow either way! Keep up the good work mate.
Thanks Dan. Glad you enjoy the blogs. I try to maintain a balance between optimism and realism. 🙂