Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Playing a Smart Game in Bid for RVP

Sometimes a coach will do whatever it takes to re-sign his star player, even if that means getting his nose a little brown.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger recently made these comments in regards to Robin Van Persie, per the Daily Mirror:

"

Robin van Persie deserves more credit in Holland than he gets. I think he was still the best striker at the European ­Championships.

I watched all his games. If you look at the runs he made, his ­passing, everything really, was very good. He did not take some of his chances but that was down to tiredness. Robin is a class above other strikers. A class above Huntelaar.

"

Those statements were in response to the Dutch outcry that Van Persie should yield the title of the Netherlands' main striker to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

This is an interesting game that Wenger is playing with Van Persie, but it's a smart one. Wenger has said a lot of the right things during this fiasco that has become of RVP's refusal to commit to the Gunners.

He didn't need to say what he said, nor does he even have to believe it. I'm sure he truly feels that Van Persie is a class above other strikers, but even if he doesn't, all that matters is that he stated it publicly.

Van Persie found the back of the net for Holland just one time in three matches. He had plenty of opportunities to score, but couldn't get the job done. He is a class above most strikers, but he hardly proved it at the 2012 European Championships.

I think Wenger is doing the right thing here. Apparently, bringing in Lukas Podolski and being on the verge of acquiring Olivier Giroud aren't the type of trophy guarantees that Van Persie demanded when he originally refused to commit to the Gunners.

He knows he needs Van Persie and is willing to say anything to the media to keep him. Say what you want, but Wenger didn't say what he did for his own health. He is an intelligent football boss and knows exactly what to say and when to say it.

Throughout this drawn out, elongated process, one thing has become painfully obvious: Wenger wants Van Persie more than any other person on the planet associated with Arsenal.

Whether it be because he enjoys his company at the Emirates, or because he knows that the Gunners sorely need his assistance, Wenger really wants to spend the next Premier League season with RVP at his side.