Robin Van Persie on the Spotlight and Mikel Arteta the Optimist

It all began in the summer of 2004. Arsene Wenger was fresh from attaining immortal status in Arsenal and England as he just guided his team to what was unfortunately his last Premier League title with 26 wins and 12 draws without even knowing what defeat felt like. Le Professor went to the EreDivisie to snap up a talented 21-year old Dutch winger called Robin van Persie.

In his three-year stint in Feyernoord’s first team from 2001 to 2004, van Persie won the UEFA Cup with the Dutch outfit but he had irreconcilable differences with the manager and present Dutch coach, Bert van Marwijk.

He won the best young talent of the EreDivisie award in 2002 but had a tumultuous time in the tail end of his Feyernoord career. After making 59 appearances and scoring 15 league goals in three years at the club, van Persie parted ways with Feyernoord and joined Arsenal as a long-term replacement for the great Dennis Bergkamp.

Robin van Persie made his debut against Manchester United in the Community Shield of 2004 and has been a loyal servant to the club ever since. Van Persie has had the pleasure of playing beside excellent forwards like Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp but the early seasons of his Arsenal career were blighted by injuries.

The Flying Dutchman was also recognized for his football exploits with the EreDivisie Best Young Talent award (2002), Rotterdam Sportsman of the Year (2006), Euro 2008 Bronze Boot and Arsenal Player of the Season (2009). He has also won the Barclay’s Player of the Month on three occasions, Arsenal Top Goal scorer on three occasions, and Arsenal Goal of the season for that brilliant strike against Barcelona on the 16^th of February 2011.

Van Persie’s current deal expires in 2013 and the skeptics believe that he could face the same fate with Samir Nasri. However, van Persie has made some quotes that could give Gooners worldwide rest of mind by saying that he’s a true Gunner:

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“I have been at the club for eight years and I am proud of that. I am a true Gunner. I love this club and that is no secret.”

“I will sit down with the manager and president at the end of the season and we will have coffee together. We will talk about many things but I already do that quite often with the manager anyway.”

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This is probably the best news I have heard all week long. Give Me Football reported that Arsenal is ready to give the Flying Dutchman a mega offer which will probably hit the six-digit mark. It’s no less than what van Persie deserves for his exploits on the pitch.

An elated Arsene Wenger took out time to give the reasons why van Persie is so good. Wenger said that he has an exceptional technique; he boasted that he has seen many great players over 30 years but van Persie’s technique stands out.

He also talked about his quick finishing ability, great movement off the ball and his intelligence. Robin van Persie is the kind of player you’d love to sing sweet tunes about all day and you won’t want to stop.

Van Persie is renowned for his gifted technique, powerful shooting range, sleek dribbling skills, set-piece taking ability, flamboyancy, good passing range, composure, versatility, and most importantly, his amazing finishing ability.

The future looks bright with van Persie at the forefront. Things can only get better for the Gunners if the manager gets it right this summer.

Mikel Arteta has integrated himself into the nucleus of the team and he has grown to become a vital cog in Arsenal’s engine. His absence was deeply felt at the start of the year as Arsenal’s midfield crumbled against Fulham and Swansea.

Arteta was one of Arsenal’s “better” players in that crushing night at San Siro a few weeks ago but the Spaniard’s head is not down as he believes that Arsenal can overcome the heavy deficit at the Emirates:

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“Do we need a miracle against Milan? No — only to play and to score, to score, to score. Now the Italians will think that the tie is not yet decided and that is good for us.”

“To fight for fourth position in the table is our minimum obligation but the Champions League is still not over”

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You can’t fault Arteta’s attitude. The lack of desire shown in the first leg was just one of the club’s problems on that horrible night. There was also the surprisingly leaky defense, the atrocious pitch, and AC Milan’s brilliance.

I admire Arteta’s optimism but it’s fair to say that Arsenal will be going trophy-less this season. I would be happy if we bow out with a victory but I see Milan getting a goal or two at the Emirates because our defense contains brilliant individuals but it can be cohesive as a unit.

Moving over to transfer news, the Media Vultures have cooked up more tales that can bring a few fits of laughter here and there. Club Call reports that Twitchy ‘Ol ‘Arry wants to buy Theo Walcott to make him join the team with the chicken on a basketball.

Theo Walcott has not been in everyone’s good books recently because he’s consistently inconsistent. But selling him to the old enemy? Please.

The Daily Mail also published an article linking the forgotten Moroccan Marouane Chamakh to Fiorentina. On potential arrivals, Footy Bunker says that Arsenal is edging closer to signing Montpellier’s hitman Olivier Giroud while Goal.com reports that Arsenal has agreed personal terms with Lukas Podolski.

There’s an interlull tonight and a few Gunners have been called up to represent their nations. I’m hoping that these international fixtures won’t give the medical team something to worry about. I’m pretty sure they are going to discuss the player’s mysterious injuries in their upcoming conference with team doctor Gary O’ Driscoll.

That’s a wrap folks.