Arsenal
Arsene Wenger Discusses Robin van Persie’s Future
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger discusses star striker Robin van Persie’s future and his desire to keep him at the club for the rest of his career.
What do you need when you go a goal behind away from home? Robin van Persie. Once again this week-end, the Dutch striker demonstrated his incredible importance to the Arsenal team with another two goals to add to his fantastic collection this season, meaning that Arsenal won another three points and remained on track to recovery from their catastrophic start.
He has now scored over 30 goals in a year of football – something only four other players have achieved in Alan Shearer (twice), Les Ferdinand, Thierry Henry and Ruud van Nistelrooy – and it is no wonder that Arsene Wenger is thinking carefully about his strikers future at Arsenal. Obviously, like every fan of the club, Wenger wants van Persie to stay for the rest of his career and will do everything in his power to persuade the 28 year-old to do so.
Wenger began with his now regular post-match praise of van Persie; understandable considering that he is the catalyst of every Arsenal game in which the Gunners win. He said:
“Robin has some competitors there but he is one of the best of course. He is exceptional and has something that you cannot give to people.”
“For the second goal, he finished with a chip on his right foot – and I have never seen a bigger left-footed player than Robin van Persie. He always makes the right decisions in a fraction of a second when there is little time available, that makes him exceptional.”
The French manager then gave us an insight into what he thinks of as he tosses and turns in his bed, no doubt covered in a bed sheet branded with the Arsenal club crest and surrounded by framed pictures of van Persie celebrating some of his 110 Arsenal goals.
“My dream is that van Persie stays until the end of his career at this club. I will do the maximum I can to try to convince him and I hope I will manage to do that.”
The striker is unlikely to enter into contract negotiations until the end of the season, but he has expressed his commitment to Arsenal repeatedly since the rumours of a possible departure entered the papers when his blistering form began. Wenger will be hoping that in the present moment, van Persie stays fit and healthy, and continues to break records, helping the club to more wins with more exceptional performances.
