Arsenal want Robin Van Persie to stay, but with his contract ticking down the situation remains unsolved.
The week the season finished, Arsenal and Robin van Persie went into contract negotiations.
Since then there has been a wall of silence from player and club.
It has led fans to fear the worst, and at best feel confusion.
Why is their captain not committing to a new deal?
One word. Trophies. Van Persie wants them, and his time is running out, this next contract is his biggest one.
It looks like the contract negotiations – or Van Persie’s efforts to leave – have hit a snag. Euro 2012.
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After 48 hours of talks with his club, Van Persie left, to join up with the Dutch squad.
He will now focus on the tournament, not Arsenal, and talk of his future can take a backseat.
With time ticking down, is that a good thing?
Clearly it is one neither he or Arsenal can do anything about, but it is an obstacle they will have both been aware of in advance.
Two years ago, Arsenal were able to prolong keeping Cesc Fabregas for an extra season in similar circumstances, when World Cup 2010 and his involvement cut the time at the negotiating table.
Assuming the Dutch will be involved in the tournament until it’s final stages, and Van Persie’s need for a short holiday or rest afterwards, Arsenal may not even see the striker until the latter stages of pre-season.
By this time there will be under one month until the new season begins.
Last season they made an error in allowing the Nasri and Fabregas sags to drag on so long, and it affected the squad.
They will want a resolution sooner rather than later. Euro 2012 could mean this happens again despite Arsenal’s best intentions.
If Van Persie wants to leave and clubs show serious interest in him, it would be better to sell and buy replacements as quickly as possible.
The club captain will keep an eye on Arsenal’s transfer activity throughout June, because it may just be that how active, or quiet, they are will affect his decision.
Arsenal should concentrate on putting together signings to boost the squad now, and convince him to remain with the club.
Van Persie may be out of sight, but he is certainly not out of mind for Arsenal or their fans.
If it wasn’t for Euro 2012 taking him away mid-negotiations, we may have our answers already. As it is, everybody will have to wait a lot longer.
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
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