Two Choices, Two Paths: Robin van Persie

Two Choices, Two Paths: Robin van Persie

Everybody and their mother now knows that Arsenal forward and 2011/12 EPL Golden Boot winner Robin van Persie has announced he will not to renew his contract with Arsenal, citing a fundamental difference in the policies of the club to peruse trophies. While that seems pretty cut and dry, he's still set to meet with Arsenal president Ivan Gazidiz and manager Arsene Wenger in the coming week, and many within Arsenals ranks still believe they can retain van Persie. What we know is this: van Persie is still under contract for 2012/13, many clubs want his signature, and Arsenal doesn't want to repeat the agony of losing their captain and best player in consecutive years after losing Cesc Fabregas in the summer of 2011. Whether van Persie's motivations are similar to Fabregas, who left for Barcelona to win trophies and be close to home, but maintains Arsenal as one of his favorite club, and is widely seen as a hero by Gunners everywhere, or similar to those of Samir Nasri, who left for Manchester City to pursue trophies and get an increased salary, but is widely considered a villain by Arsenal fans due to his criticism of the club and being seen as 'greedy,' remains to be seen, but regardless of motivation, action will have to be taken this summer. This leaves us with two choices by Arsenal: sell van Persie and collect his money, or keep him (either for long term or for the 2012/13 season) and convince him to re-sign over the course of the year. Both have legitimate risks and rewards, but I will attempt to give you my plan if I was in Arsene Wenger's shoes for both difficult decisions. Van Persie will inevitably get what he wants, whether it be an exit from the Emirates or a stay in North London. The backlash falls with the Gunners, and I'll attempt to manage said backlash through this post.

Option 1: Sell Robin van Persie

The Situation: van Persie cannot be persuaded to stay, and demands a transfer. Begrudgingly, as Arsenal manager, I agree. There is plenty of interest both domestically and abroad, but losing England's top scorer leaves gaping holes in the Arsenal Starting XI, either at wing or striker depending on where we choose to play new signing Lukas Podolski. 

What I would do: I personally would choose not to sell van Persie to another English team, regardless of price. The goal at Arsenal is to win a title in 2012/13, with or without van Persie, and selling him domestically damages those prospects greatly. This takes Manchester City and United out of the equation. PSG recently said they wouldn't target van Persie, leaving Juventus, Real Madrid, and Barcelona as his remaining suitors. I would sell to the highest bidder, unless van Persie rejected a move to the club out of respect to his wishes. I give the captains armband to Thomas Vermalaen and instruct Jack Wilshere to prepare himself for future leadership as vice-captain, where he splits duties with other stand-in captains Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta. The Wilshere vice-captaincy is more of a move to strengthen his own ties to the club so as not to repeat a Fabregas-esque situation again by losing a perceived 'Arsenal-for-lifer.'

Now that the club business is out of the way, it's time to use money gotten through his transfer to buy quickly and thoughtfully. Looking at van Persie-less Arsenal, and moving Podolski to striker to couple with Olivier Giroud, I see massive deficiencies on the wings. After clearing out fringe players for more funds, I would sit down with Theo Walcott to discuss a new deal. If he refuses or talks stall, I have no problem selling him for more funds. If he re-signs, we keep a long time player. No-lose situation. The wingers I would target are former Blackburn winger Junior Hoilett, who may not have the class but is a no-brainer because he can be signed on a free transfer, and big-money bids for Leverkeusen winger and Chelsea target Andre Schurrle and/or Newcastle winger Hatem Ben Arfa. Regardless of transfer incomers at wing, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is featured more in the first team. Alternatively, if Podolski wants to stay on the wing, I target Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski and/or Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse. From there, I turn my attention to the midfield, and snatch up Yann M'Vila from Stade Rennes, who has long been tied to an Arsenal move, or, if this fails, Manchester City want-away Nigel de Jong. Depending on the amount of funds still available after signing a reliable back-up keeper to replace Lukas Fabianski, I also look into moves for an additional defender, or look to strengthen my youth system. At the end of the day, we may have lost talent up front, but the end Arsenal product is leaner and more reliable all-around, and ready to make a run at silverware yet again.

Estimated net transfer costs: 30-50 million Euros

2012/13 Starting XI:

G: Szczesney.

D: Sagna, Vermalaen, Koscielny, Gibbs.

M: M'Vila/Song, Wilshere, Arteta.

F: Walcott/Ben Arfa, Podolski, Chamberlain/Schurrle.

Option 2: Keep van Persie

The Situation: After meetings with the club brass, Robin van Persie reconsiders and decides that he would consider re-signing at Arsenal . Re-signing him now becomes a numbers game, and he still wants to see that Arsenal will challenge for trophies in 2012/13. Some of the transfer budget is gone, but at least we retained the EPL's top scorer and our captain.

What I would do: Crisis averted, now it's time to prove to Robin van Persie and football fans all over the world that this won't happen again by breaking bad habits. First thing's first: sign van Persie to a deal representative of his value. I offer 150k-a-week as a jumping off point, but maintain that there's a possibility that that number could hike 170k-a-week. Arsenal needs to retain top players, and if this means paying them more from time to time, that's what it'll take. I sign him even if it means parting ways with Theo Walcott, who is also in the final year of his contract, to raise funds. 

With van Persie back in as Arsenal captain, it's time to flex our transfer muscles. A fringe clear-out is in order, and with these funds, and the additional (estimated) 15-30 million Euros still in the original budget, we need to make sure this club is ready to compete for not only English trophies, but European silverware as well. Van Persie, Podolski, Giroud, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Gervinho with Theo Walcott, or if he leaves, free signing Hoilett or starlet Ryo Miyaichi, provide enough class and depth that I can turn my focus to other areas. M'Vila or de Jong are first priority. Next up is getting a star at left back. Leighton Baines of Everton is an attractive option (just ask Manchester United), as is Ajax and Netherlands playmaker Gregory van der Wiel and Lyon's Aly Cissokho. Regardless of price, I sign one of these players to cover for the inexperienced and frequently unreliable Kieran Gibbs. This side, in my opinion, is bona fide top 3 in the EPL, and should guarantee the seven year title drought ends by the end of the 2012/13 season.

Estimated Net Transfer Cost: 25-35 million Euros

2012/13 Starting XI:

G: Szczesney.

D: Sagna, Vermalaen, Koscielny, Baines/van der Wiel/Cissokho.

M: M'Vila/Song, Wilshere, Arteta.

F: Oxlade-Chamberlain/Walcott, van Persie, Podolski.

Conclusion

Detaching myself from a hypothetical managerial role and returning to analysis, I really think it's in everyone involved's best interest for van Persie to stay at Arsenal. While he might have a better chance at trophies somewhere other than North London, Arsenal have been making steps towards getting a trophy ready team for him to lead, he's adored by fans, players, and coaches alike, and I genuinely feel that Arsenal are ready to correct past mistakes and break the bank to give RvP a more lucrative contract. I also have my doubts about whether Arsenal will receive the type of bids for van Persie that would make it a viable option to sell him. Mind you, this is a player in the last year of his deal and with loads of reoccurring and quite frankly serious leg injury problems throughout his career. Arsenal won't sell him for anything less than 15-20 million, but I'm just not sure any teams are willing to dedicate that type of fee to sign him.

Arsenal won't want to lose a captain, and if van Persie is smart, he won't want to leave the glory and adoration he's earned despite having an injury-laden career in the year that Arsenal finally looks like they've got their act together. After about eight years of missteps that have led to this trophy drought, Arsene Wenger is showing signs of learning and altering his plans to break bad trends. We saw this at the end of last year when he bought a mass of players - albeit hastily - before the deadline in 2011, and we're seeing it again with the early signings of big name internationals early this summer. Van Persie has an opportunity to be the leader of a revamped and reinvigorated Arsenal side. Obviously at this time, he doesn't see it that way, and until he can be convinced that this is the case, there's no way he stays a Gunner. I don't blame him for chasing trophies and wanting a contract that reflects his talent; I'm just not so sure that those two factors and more don't already exist at the Emirates.

This saga is far from over. Both sides are a bit disillusioned right now, but hopefully in a few weeks, we'll have some clarity on what's really going on.