Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Smart to Take Firm Stance on Keeping RVP

Arsenal needs Robin Van Persie in order to have another successful 2012-13 campaign, and the club is making the smart move by refusing to field offers for the star striker.

The Gunners’ chairman, Peter Hill-Wood, said, “As far as I am aware, nobody has made any offer for him and he is away so we are not in any dialogue at all. We are not in the remotest bit interested in selling him,” via John Cross of Mirror Football.

The 28-year-old center forward is coming off a fantastic club season in which he led the English Premier League with 30 goals. 

Arsenal as a team scored 74 times during the season, meaning the Dutchman put away 41 percent of their goals. Factor in his nine assists, and he was responsible for 53 percent of the team’s league goals. 

No player was more important to his team this past season. Even though Arsene Wenger has made a habit of selling the club’s top players, getting rid of Van Persie would mean giving up the team’s entire offense.

When Wenger made the controversial moves to part ways with Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, he had enough attacking talent on the roster to remain competitive. In addition, he was able to sell these two players for more than the offers he has received for RVP. 

Fabregas was shipped off to Barcelona for £35 million while Nasri was sold to Manchester City for £25 million.

Wenger has always operated under the policy that everyone has a price, but it is hard to believe he is impressed by the current rumors that are swirling. Juventus is willing to pay £15 million for Van Persie, according to Cross’ same report, while Manchester City is rumored to be preparing a £20 million bid, per Matt Law of Mirror Football.

As Cross notes in his article, contract talks have stalled between the Gunners and Van Persie. The forward has rejected a three-year deal that would pay him £130,000 a week. 

The team can live with this, as they have the entire season to iron out a deal to keep him under contract. The most important matter at hand is ensuring that he suits up for Arsenal this coming season. 

He is too valuable to the team to be sold this summer, and the team’s executives must stay the course and reject all offers for the striker.