History suggests that Van Persie will leave

Another season has come to an end and yet again Arsenal are facing the prospect of losing their best player. Their captain and talisman Robin van Persie has one year remaining on his current contract and as expected the vultures are circling for his signature.

Initial reports suggest that he is contemplating a move away from the Emirates this summer after talks ended in stalemate last week. Having witnessed his great friend Cesc Fabregas leave the club last summer few could blame the Dutch striker for wanting to leave North London.

Unfortunately for Arsenal their lack of success in recent seasons has seen many of their top stars leave the club to seek silverware elsewhere. Interestingly most of the better players have gone on to win various trophies at their next club and this is something that will not escape RVP’s attention (or his agent’s). Even though Barcelona have failed to win La Liga or the European Champions League this season Fabregas has still already won three trophies this season (and should compete for their fourth against Athletic Bilbao on Friday).

There were of course another two high profile departures last summer with Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri deciding that Manchester City offered a more realistic chance of silverware than Arsenal. After considerable criticism from the fans both players were vindicated with City’s Premier League triumph this season. It is easy to see why many of the Arsenal players view the club as a stepping stone to future success.

If you go back even further there are even more examples. Thierry Henry enjoyed initial success at Arsenal but when the club began to stagnate he left for Barcelona where he won seven major titles as a player in three seasons. Of course there is then one of the chief protagonists in the Van Persie saga; Patrick Vieira.

After years of transfer rumours Vieira finally departed Arsenal for Juventus in 2005 after scoring their decisive penalty kick against Manchester United in the FA Cup, which was their last trophy. He enjoyed considerable success in Italy where he won six titles during his spells with Inter Milan and Juve. He is of course now working at Manchester City and will be involved heavily with attempting to lure Van Persie to the newly crowned Premier League champions.

This situation must be incredibly frustrating for Arsenal fans and everyone associated with the club. However, it is a situation they seem to continually find themselves in every year and when you look back at history it suggests RVP will leave for pastures new this summer. 

Premier League Preview – the battle for 4th place

The battle for the elusive final place in the Champions League will be the most intense it has ever been and is likely to be between Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham. All three sides are only a couple of signings away from being serious title challengers but at this moment in time do not possess enough quality to worry the top three.

Since the return of Kenny Dalglish Liverpool has once again become a force in the Premier League. Their form at the end of last season was that of Champions and if they can start well they could be a force again. The key addition of Luiz Suarez was made in January and it will be intriguing to see how he develops this season; his partnership with Andrew Carroll will be pivotal to the club. They have strengthened in midfield by adding Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson which will certainly provide ammunition for the forwards. The key to Liverpool’s success at the end of last season in my humble opinion was the absence of Steven Gerrard. There is no doubting his importance to the club but the side appeared more balanced in his absence. The addition today of Jose Enrique will also give much needed support to the defence which will be important if they are to qualify for the Champions League again.

The goings on at Arsenal this summer have been rather strange and with the impending departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri it will be difficult for the club to remain amongst the elite. They have strengthened by signing Gervinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but it is surely not enough. There is no doubt that Arsenal still have enough quality to match anyone on their day but losing their two best players is too much at once. If manager Arsene Wenger can bolster the squad before the end of August it could be different but the signs are not good. Last season they set their bench mark against Barcelona but then got nowhere near it as they capitulated yet again at the business end of the season. If they can keep Robin van Persie fit and go some way to replacing Fabregas they could be surprise package but with their start of the season looking so tough it could be a long season for Arsenal fans.

Meanwhile at Spurs the summer has been spent trying to offload players unsuccessfully and retain key players. There are a number of fringe players that they have tried to sell but they have demanded too much money which has effectively ended all interest. Their wage bill has to be lowered due to not being in the Champions League which means they cannot buy until these players go. Although they have been linked with almost every player in Europe there still appears to be no imminent new signings. With Spurs tending to conduct most of their business at the end of the window it could be a busy end to August.

It is almost unprecedented for the competition at the top of the league to be so close and it will be an incredibly interesting season for the clubs mentioned above. It will be very tough to separate Arsenal and Liverpool for 4^th and it is likely to be dependent upon who Arsenal sign in the coming weeks. The whole club needs a lift at the moment and Wenger has to deliver.

Transfer window looks set to be eventful

We are only eight days into the transfer window and already the whole football world seems to have gone a little crazy. With rumours circulating left right and centre the ability to tell fact from fiction is almost impossible. With the Premier League’s top six sides all set to spend heavily the domino effect will surely come; one big transfer will have knock on effects throughout the game.

Bizarrely the quietest side so far appears to be Manchester City who will surely spend huge sums again this summer after qualifying for the Champions League. It appears that Liverpool could be the first to splash the cash with Sunderland’s Jordan Henderson apparently very close to agreeing a deal. The rumour has the deal at £20 million which is staggering but after signing Andy Carroll for £35 million anything is possible.

Every window Spurs are linked with almost every possible player in world football and it certainly appears the case again. From Rossi to Lavezzi to Lassana Diarra all within eight days is the norm for the North London club. The club generally end up doing their business in the final hours of the window but maybe their Chairman Daniel Levy has changed his approach.

For the second summer in a row the issue at Arsenal appears to be who will be leaving. Their young French playmaker Samir Nasri is stalling on a new contract and some of Europe’s biggest clubs are rumoured to be hovering. However, it does appear to be more of a Rooney approach rather than a real desire to leave the club. The reports have stated that he has asked for the same money as the club captain Cesc Fabregas which is not unreasonable in my opinion. He was sublime in the initial months of last season having not featured in the World Cup and must remain at Arsenal if they are to challenge next season.

The current Champions Manchester United have already stated that they will bring in three players this summer. It is understood that the deal to bring David de Gea to the club has already been completed and they will surely look to strengthen their central midfield that was so exposed in the Champions League final. Their main rivals Chelsea must first address who will be manager next season; Guus Hiddink appears to be the obvious candidate and would represent a great addition to the club. However, they need youthful reinforcements for an ageing squad and most of that will depend on how deep Mr Abramovich wants to delve.

One thing is guaranteed; it will be an eventful summer.

Arsenal and Spurs produce another classic

On a night that featured a north London derby and the 2^nd instalment of the el Clasico triple bill few would have anticipated the Premier League game would outshine the Copa del Rey final.

The game at White Hart Lane this evening was breathtaking. The speed, intensity and quality of football on display tonight was something to behold. Whilst some of the defending left plenty to imagine the attacking potency from both sides produced a wonderful game.

The start of the game was electric, Arsenal were 2-1 up after 11 minutes through Walcott and Nasri. Playing on the Arsenal right Theo Walcott looked determined and hungry and was visibly worrying the Spurs defence every time he attacked. Meanwhile Spurs, who were the inferior side in the opening exchanges, seemed to be creating opportunities at will.

It was Arsenal who scored next through Robin van Persie to make it 3-1. Then, a few minutes before half time Tom Huddlestone produced an unbelievable bit of magic. Following a corner on the Spurs right hand side the ball fell to the midfielder 25 yards out. After being cleared by the Arsenal defence the ball fell to him and he hit it on the half volley perfectly into the left hand side of the net. Although he lacks pace his ball striking ability is something to behold.

The second half was not quite as free flowing as the first. The game was predominantly played in the Arsenal half with Spurs pushing for the equaliser. The introduction of Aaron Lennon at half-time for Gareth Bale proved to be very effective. Every time he ran at Sagna he looked like he had the beating of him. Indeed, it was Lennon who forced the Arsenal keeper Szczesny to bring him down in the penalty area when he broke free on the left hand side.

The subsequent penalty was dispatched by Rafael van der Vaart for his 2^nd of the game. Once Spurs had equalised the game began to flow as it had done in the first half, albeit with less intensity. There were a couple of chances at both ends with Fabregas forcing a fine save with a fierce drive from 20 yards.

All in all the draw was a fair result this evening. However, with Chelsea winning and Spurs falling slightly further behind Manchester City the result doesn’t help either side. Arsenal now find themselves 3^rd after Chelsea beat Birmingham and Spurs remain 5^th.

Bale wins PFA Player of the Year – How Exactly???

Last night Gareth Bale was awarded the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award at a ceremony in London. Whilst Bale has certainly emerged as a talent this season this award should not have been awarded to him this early. He was also runner up in the Young Player of the Year award to Arsenal’s Jack Wilshire who has had an outstanding debut season.

I do not want this to turn into an all-out rant as Bale is a hugely promising young player who could well go onto become one of the top players in the world. He is blessed with blistering pace and an incredibly sweet left foot that we saw demonstrated to magnificent effect in the San Siro against Inter Milan.

However, he has barely done anything in the Premier League and his stats tell the story: 26 games, 7 goals and 1 assist! He walks away with the award when Nani, of Manchester United boasts league stats of: 28 games, 9 goals and 14 assists. The Portuguese winger has enjoyed his most productive campaign at United this season and only found himself nominated in the Young Player category.

Whilst I say this I do accept that the Players do vote in December and therefore Bale’s Inter Milan heroics were at the front of their minds but I still just cannot explain it. In an era where we build young players up to the status of world beaters and then knock them down when they disappoint us, it is bizarre. Some of the recent transfer speculation is linking him with a massive transfer move in the summer and I just cannot see any justification in the amounts being mentioned.

It is also incredibly dangerous giving a young player this much adulation. The Welshman appears relatively level headed but last week against Real Madrid he seemed to be a player who was beginning to believe the hype; he spent most of the evening throwing himself around the pitch theatrically looking for penalties and free-kicks, one of which he should certainly have been booked for.

I do not want to appear to be too negative about Bale, I do think he is a wonderful talent and his style of attacking is incredibly refreshing. The best Young Player around at the moment is Jack Wilshire who was able to mix it and not look out of place against the best – Barcelona. My player of the season would have been between Nani, Nasri and Tevez – all of whom were fantastic at the start of the season.

Arsenal vs Barcelona - a preview

The game at the Emirates tomorrow night epitomises the term ‘mouth watering’. It will see possibly the greatest club side in history against the most attractive English side around. Last season we were treated to 180 minutes of utterly spell binding football that left everyone who watched open mouthed. There will be no defensive tactics employed – this will simply be a matter of who is the best attacking side.

For me it really is no contest; Barcelona sit at the top of La Liga and are currently the best side in the world. Their side boasts all 3 of the final Ballon d’Or nominees, the best striker in the world and one of the best up and coming coaches in world football. The style of football the Catalans play makes everyone envious and of the many imitations around Arsenal are the closest.

The game at the Emirates last season was the definition of a game of 2 halves. The first half hour was one of the best periods of football in a game I have witnessed in my entire life and the biggest irony of it all was that the much maligned Manuel Almunia kept Arsenal in the game (it could have been ten by half time without him). A rare tactical master stroke from Wenger then saw Arsenal score one and then a 2^nd after the introduction of Walcott; Arsenal could even have won the game at the end which simply did not seem possible after 30 minutes.

This season’s encounter should see Barcelona advance to the quarter finals but Arsenal are such underdogs that I really believe anything is possible. There is always a worry for me when teams are such overwhelming favourites and the team from north London are capable of shocking the entire world. Having said this not one player in the Arsenal squad would get into the Barcelona team although Fabregas and Nasri would certainly come into contention but in reality their counterparts are just better players.

We should see plenty of goals on Wednesday night as neither side would say they are defensively sound. The loss of Puyol for the first leg could prove crucial as Abidal is certainly suspect and Arsenal should look to isolate him at every opportunity. The problem is how you stop Busquets, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro, Xavi and Villa from playing it round you. In truth I just cannot see how Arsenal can win over 2 legs; they may win tomorrow night but I think it will be a question of how many Barcelona score in the Camp Nou.