Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Why Robin Van Persie Should Stay with Gunners

When you ask your club to go out and upgrade the roster, and it does as much, there is something to be said about that.

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood recently said that he fears Arsenal will lose Robin van Persie if the striker demands top wages.

Hill-Wood told the Sunday Mirror, via AFP:

"He is vital to us and has been an extremely good captain. But if somebody comes along and offers Robin £250,000 a week then I am afraid we cannot compete with that."

It's unclear which way van Persie is leaning at the moment, but Arsenal, which placed third in the Premier League this past season, is already making significant moves to vie for the league title next season. The Gunners have already signed Germany's Lukas Podolski, and there are rumors that the side is close to agreeing on a deal with striker Olivier Giroud, who scored 25 goals for Montpellier this past season.

Hill-Wood also noted how rare it is for players to remain with their respective teams these days, pointing to Manchester United's Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes as rare exceptions. And that is where Arsenal may have an advantage in regards to van Persie.

It must be said that this isn't a Samir Nasri-Cesc Fabregas situation for Arsenal. Van Persie isn't inevitably going to leave. In that sense, Arsenal has an edge. The side has already shown it's serious about contending for the league title next season, and Hill-Wood's words also show how much the Gunners value Van Persie.

It's quite likely that another club will offer Van Persie more money this offseason, but club loyalty may keep him at Emirates. You have the two ingredients for a club to keep a player happy: the apparent desire to be the best in the league and a warm relationship. It can't be overstated how much activity Arsenal has shown thus far or how much the side has praised Van Persie.

Van Persie will face some tough decisions in the near future, but he may want to think about how Arsenal has already backed up its promising words with decisive action.