“If Arsenal do not finish in the top four, Van Persie will leave next summer” – A fair prediction?
With the news that Arsenal are to leave Robin Van Persie’s contract talks until the summer, London Evening Standard writer James Olley provided a candid analysis of the chances of the Dutchman staying at the club in a frank interview with talkSPORT on Friday evening.
Asked if a Champions League spot would ensure Van Persie agreeing to a new contract, Olley said, “I think what you can say is, if Arsenal do not finish in the top four, Van Persie will leave next summer. I think you can say that quite definitively. I think that if they do finish in the top four – and by that I mean fourth and they have to qualify – then he has a decision to make.”
Indeed, a player of Van Persie’s calibre is expected – and himself expects – to play at the highest possible level and the Europa League would undoubtedly be a colossal step-down for a footballer that looks to be an early contender for Player of the Season already.
Olley continued, stating that an automatic Champions League will be a necessity if Wenger is to hold on to Van Persie, scorer of 28 goals in just 27 games this year: “I think the combination of things that needs to happen for Van Persie to stay is that Arsenal need to have a fantastic second half of the season, that they qualify – probably third – for the Champions League automatically and that they show their intent early in the window and they sign big players, they spend some money, they show their ambition, and they say to Robin Van Persie, ‘This is the big deal, you are captain of this football club, this is the last big contract of your career, commit to us, this is what we’re going to show you, this is how we’re going to take the club forward, and we want you to be the main part of it’”.
Olley may hold a fairly simplistic view, but is he right in suggesting that fourth place wouldn’t be good enough for Van Persie? Should the Dutchman be satisfied with such a finish?
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Why people always talking like we are not going to finish at top 4?Hey, we are Arsenal.Yes, we definitely will finish top 4, Robin will stay, because he is almost 30, and this contract could be the last for him, and even Van Basten has told him to stay.Where else can he go? Arsenal is his home,beside he will never plays a role like he play in Arsenal in other place.So he’ll stay.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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last season they said arsenal will be no 5@6 bhind spurs n livpool…but in d end??4th!!n diss season..they will do it again top 4!!!mybe arsenal will be 3rd..but in football..we nver know~.~
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Hi peter, I agree mate, the way we are playing at the moment we can finish 3rd coz liverpool are useless, chelsea are going down hill and spurs have no harry rednapp for a month and will start to move down the table and I would bet my left bollock that RVP signs a contract in the summer for 120k a week and end the speculation.
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What more would van Persie want out of life other than a piece of silver. He is captain of one of the finest clubs in the world. He is a happily married millionaire and pushing thirty. So, what kind of silver will satisfy him?
The Carling Cup, The FA Cup, The Premiership Cup or the European Champions League Cup? The first two are a lottery and the last two unlikely, so what`s the real reason?.
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absolutely not agreed..rvp is a true gunners!!!he will stay no what happen to arsenal..but the board need to spend some money to sign big players..rvp need support in front..seriously i hate the board like i hate man u…
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@ Aussy Jack : Maybe he just want us to show a litle bit more of ambition, and like my mate, arsenal1982 says, a raise to 120k will satisfy him.Silverware is not an issue if u are not the mainpart of it.For instance u go to Barcelona and get many silverwares,people will not rate u that much because Barca already that good before u come.But if u got the silverware with Arsenal And u are-like VP-the main part of it, people will rate u very high and u could be hero and legend.VP imo is not like Cashry, I think he loves Arsenal and he will try to get silverware ONLY with Arsenal.
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Can anybody tell me 1 player that has left Arsenal and peaked even further at a different club???? And if anyone knows anything about football.. Please don’t say Thierry Henry coz he won some big trophies with barcelona, he was never the same player after he left arsenal…. FACT…..
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would be better if he retires as an arsenal player. would be best. the club should offer him the right wages, and get proven and established players to help the club to win trophies. UP GUNS
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1982 – try Ashley Cole, Anelka, and soon to be Fabregas. (Albeit Chelsea are on their way down). I don’t think that saying that any Arsenal player that leave us, has no future elsewhere stands as an argument. Un fortunately, we are not at the top of the pile at the moment. There are plenty of teams in Europe that would be attractive to a player like RVP. Whether RVP would have the same standing as he does at Arsenal – that I’m not sure he would. I doubt that he would go to another big team and instantly be captain.
The issue is; if we don’t come top four, it’s another year before we get a chance to play in the CL, and another year (if we assume we win that year) before RVP sees any silverware. So the question for him is, ” if I get a better offer should I move?” it’s a tough call for a player like him. Being out of the CL, I think Arsenal would find it hard to hang on to him. But as everyone says – this is football. Anything can happen.
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Can`t see what he`s got to gain by leaving Arsenal so if it`s all about money, and it usually is ,give him some.
There again he could be homesick like Cesc was and want to go back and play for Ajax? lol
It`s all a bloody joke anyway, I for one can`t take football seriously any more.
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Either we finish 4th or not…if we pay him 20k per week he will stay..and we have enough wage budget to pay him on these basis..its on arsenal board now..ArsenAl fOr lifE!!
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Agree with you.
But if the club still does not go in the right direction about signing top players he might just go somewhere else where he can the big trophys. But yeah pretty much if we dont finish top 4 he ll leave.
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Hi kicku, ashley cole has not become a better player since joining chelsea but of course he has won some trophies with them and anelka left arsenal and went to real madrid and was a massive flop and I can only think of 1 season that he produced the goods like he did for us and I believe that was when Chelsea last won the league. I also don’t think its all about money with RVP but of course a 4 year contract with 120k a week would be a huge one for him. I’m 100 percent convinced if we finish 3rd and possibly win a trophy then he will definitely stay.
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The big problem for RVP is age. He has just 4-5 yrs of active footie left. If Arsenal finish outside top 4, he’ll leave of course. Especially if Arsenal once again lose out on a trophy to a freak last minute goal.
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Arsenal has been with him through and through even when he was down with injuries, so its pay back time for him. he won’t move.
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Arsenal.1982 – i might take u up on that bet. i lost one if mine a few years back so it represents a really good gamble for me. but what do u want if rvp does stay?
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It may well be that should Arsenal fail to qualify for CL football next season, Van Persie will want to leave.If that happens, IMO, he would be foolish to exercise his right for a number of reasons, not the least being loyalty to the Club for supporting him during long periods of injury.
In addition, he will be poised for really only one more contract and what better to serve it at a Club where he is Captain and where his unique style of play is well supported and understood. And in a land where his family have made their home for many years.
My advice to Van Persie would be “appreciate what you have achieved and accept that to a certain aspect it’s now
approaching payback time. Wait until the end of the season to start talking and in the meantime concentrate on your football”.
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Perhaps we should reduce our 78 man playing squad to a level similar to that of other teams. then we may be able to pay the sort of salaries that other clubs can. i say cut it down to 62 that will give brady court and bould a squad of 18 to work with and wenger rice and banfield 44.
almunia shea hajrovic botelho hoyte monteiro brislen-hall meade eastmond denilson galindo vela bendtner freeman murphy wellington
there is my 16 to start the ball rolling bringing the squad down to much more manageable numbers.
then if we wanted to improve the quality there are first teamers that could go on a one out one in basis
fabianski mannone djourou squillaci diaby rosicky benayoun arshavin chamakh
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I’m confient that Arsenal will be in the top 4 but with the new solidity at the back i think we can get a cup this year too. Nothing to worry about. Top 4 by Christmas then it’s Chelsea, United, City and Spurs at home in the remaining fixtures which will be wins and draws all the way. Undefeated in the second half of the league season and who knows, maybe finishing top if we can beat City Home and Away.
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i dont think top 4 is what is needed 2 keep rvp in arsenal….i think its a show of ambition that is needed…we cant just keep saying were ambitious and not backing it up….wenger shuld sign 1-2 marquee signings…back that up with a 100k and above contract and im sure he will commit…top 4 wasnt enuf ambition 2 keep fabregas and Nasri what makes u think it will be enuf for robin vantastic??? reduce the squad…improve the quality…if we sell 5-6 fringe players(diaby,squilacci,chamackh,rosicky,arshavin) and could gt just 2 top class (goetze,hazard,cahill or any1) in ma opinion wuld be enuf
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I would like to think RVP would show the same loyalty to the club that have paid him good wages for several years without having one season injury free, getting injuries are not the players fault but not many other clubs were interested in him a year or so ago when he was labeled as the most injury prone player in the prem, but AFC stuck by him and I still think he owes us I just hope he feels the same because if city want him to replace tevez we cant match what they have got to offer.
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I some time feel bad if some one feels guilty of what he has done most especially when it is destructive. if our coach Wenger knows our time is no longer big than who to blem. let him style up and replace our players like Henry, fabrigas, nasir, viera,fulamini among others the team will turn to big. Thank you Wenger only if you take my opinion.”no profits without cost of selle”
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i think he’ll stay. it will be a tough desision for him, as it was for fab. arsenal are in his blood and if he was to leave he certainly wont be going anywhere in england. can u really see rvp in the blue of manshitty, or the red of manure. I do agree tho, we need that top 4 finish, or rvp may just feel at 30 he needs to be playing cl football. Is top 4 a worry for us now? no i dont think so,were playing good football right now, and the new signings are starting to gel. winning the league is a little far off, as man shitty have pretty much bought it already. all in all, lets not get too carried away with the will he wont he sign rubbish, support the boys, cheer the boys on,and watch us go from strength to strength with our support. then watch as rvp signs a new 4 year contract in the summer.
comon you gunners!!!!
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Why else would he refuse to discuss a contract until the summer? What else could he be waiting for? If it’s for the board to spend big money on established players, then I think we all know how that is going to end. I’m afraid if we don’t finish in the top 4 then he will be offski because that’s the only realistic thing that could happen to change his mind.
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We will finish top four . We still won’t invest but beautiful things could still happen keep the faith gooners
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“I think you can say that quite definitively.” is not “you can say that definitively.” It really is ‘I dont know’.
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If he does decide to leave and go to a club like City, I wonder how much game time he will actually get with the likes of Balotelli and Aguero, Decko around? Sure he will always be remembered like Henry, Viera, Fab but he will not be a true legend, like Bergkamp, Adams etc.
He has two choices…leave Arsenal and have a slightly better chance of filling his currently empty trophy cabinet with silverware, get paid more BUT lose his immortal legend status at the Emirates…or stay with us, become a legend cast in stone for all time, remembered by all gooners present and future, and still have a very good chance of winning silverware.
Look at legends who have left Arsenal for bigger clubs and the ‘better’ prospect of winning silverware – Henry, Viera, Petit, Pirez etc…they all fizzled out. RvP has had a major role of what Arsenal is today…when all the above is considered and also looking at the rise and potential of our current team, I think he would be wise to stay on and sign that extended contract.
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dis is aresnal. we r de only team in england to be in de champions league 16 years in a row so ofcourse we will finish top 3 not 4 3
robin van persie can became the best player in any team but his hert is considerd with aresnal and aresnal only
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We’ve qualified for Champions League 14 years in a row and facts state that we have never lost a qualifying round when having to play preliminary matches to reach the elite cup.
As many Arsenal fans know, we’ve had a tumultuous start to the season, but it seems the cohesion in the team now is greater than what it was when Nasri and Fab were still around. I think this is what Arsenal eventually needed. Players can be world class but if their heart or head is in another place, then they’re not truly 100% Arsenal blooded. RVP, Gervinho, Jenkinson, Wilshere, Walcott are all passionate lovers of this club and through the eye of adversity, have fought and stuck together as any strong unit would. I believe, there is more to prove with our new players coming in and this has revitalised the urgency to win and defend together as a team.
RVP’s place is in an Arsenal shirt, but Wenger needs to reassure him that we’re going to be serious contenders for various titles. As much as many Arsenal fans like to see Hazard come into the fray, I think this is never going to happen with the obvious bidding wars from major clubs in Europe. Lille got him to sign a new deal so to increase his sale value and this only curtails Arsenal’s chances. I personally believe Gotze is actually a better signing even though he too will require a pretty coin to acquire. We desperately need a quality attacking midfielder, although Ramsey has been doing well for us. Grosskreutz would be a more realistic Arsenal buy, but a purchase I highly regard as a) he is an Arsenal fan b)he is a terrific player c)he’s not overly expensive.
In summary, RVP like all top quality players like to have confidence that his team are able to compete with the best in Europe. We have team work and togetherness but now we just need more depth to keep our run going. If we can secure at least 2 top players in January and lock in CL qualification by the end of the season or even win a trophy, there is high chance RVP is staying at the Emirates.
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Sorry I did get it wrong about Arsenal qualifying for CL 14yrs in a row. I understand it’s actually 16yrs but 14 yrs in a row we haven’t finished below 4th spot in the EPL, which is what I actually meant.
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hey gays camoon even af van peries leaves arsenal still they have good playesr
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vanpersie is a lovely player he is not leave the club i know he loves the club. arsenal for vanpersie is the wright home the club is surrounded by so many enemy please van save the club
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Didn’t a certain Gareth Bale win player of the year last season? And where is he playing now? In the Europa league…
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Everyone that says rvp will stay he don’t need silver to satisfy him tell me what player in world football don’t want some silverware? A player like that have no ambition in life! I think its fair he want to go if we don’t end 4th. He 28 this may be his last chance to move to a big club and get even a bigger name! We must all admin he deserve a good move and better contract!
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