The man who the supporters are spilt in the middle about:

There are not many players that bring about different opinions as much as Theo. Alex Song was a closer second in my opinion but I have always had ‘debates’ about Theo Walcott.

From feeling very uncomfortable in the first half of that Spurs game while listening to the groans for every miss placed pass to the whole ground singing his name after scoring two important goals to make the game safe for Arsenal, I have always been an admirer. 

I will be up front about this; I want and hope Theo Walcott will stay.

At 23 years old, he has two big contracts left in his career. He is not 26 plus and does not have to go out and get the highest wage he can just yet (hopefully he never will). He has developed in my opinion at Arsenal and his statistics show this. He has been inconsistent but last season, I felt he improved and got a proper season without injury under his belt.

Is 75k a week a fair deal? I think it is. But the trouble with football is, what we think is a fair deal, others may not and even if they do, they still have the resources to pay a lot more and not even blink.

I love the line about Arsene Wenger being the sane one but living in a crazy world rather then the other way round. I believe this to be true but as a club, losing players will happen more and more with the wages in this crazy world paid by other clubs.

Theo, unlike Robin, has a re-sellable value; that means, paying him a bit more now but being able to sell him for the same value or more (unless his forms dips dramatically) is an option. I’m not sure if I would pay him much more but if it’s the question of 5k maybe 10k or so, I would consider it because at 23, he has the potential to improve and if he does not, I am still convinced there would be a club that would take a punt on him in a few years.

Regardless, he certainly has not gone yet and I remain hopefully he will re-sign because as I have mentioned many times, I rate him; plus I would have to change my twitter display picture which is just too much effort!

Up the Arsenal…as always.

Robin Van Persie - Sell or keep?

From speculation at the end of the season, to a meeting in Totteridge which led to a statement after the Euro’s to Mr Ferguson moaning about how Arsenal are dealing with their own player. The saga has dragged on and on.

Where will Robin Van Persie end up? No sod knows in reality.

Juventus have a few issues with their manager being banned for some sort of corruption; Man City has never been high up in preferences for Robin according to most and notably his own father and Arsenal do not seem to keen to sell to Manchester United.

Arsene Wenger has NEVER sold a player to Manchester United and you get the feeling he wants to keep it that way.

I wrote earlier in the summer (shortly after the statement was public) that I would want Robin Van Persie sold sooner rather then later and I still feel that way BUT selling to Manchester United, a team that we have been in such rivalry with would hurt the supporters. We all remember the battle of Old Trafford, Pizza gate and the infamous tunnel incident when Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira had a ‘heated’ debate regarding Gary Neville and Jose Antonio Reyes.

I wrote this summer but how keeping Robin after the statement has the potential to damage the morale that Arsene Wenger has worked so hard to maintain. I was concerned that Robin may start talking to others and just sulk his way to a move like others have done. But hearing bits and bobs from journalists and the media men internally at the club along with a few others, everyone is in agreement that Robin has been focused, has trained hard and has even been enjoying himself since he has returned to training and has been impressed with the new players that have come in.

Putting my bitter feelings aside (I just do not like people that disrespect the club I love) and thinking about what is best for Arsenal football club may mean keeping Robin. Apart from going to Juventus, there is no real benefit of selling on the cheap to the Manchester clubs. Off course, he could go to Utd and break down and be out for seven months but if we are counting on that, we really do need to get out more! Selling him to Manchester United can only have a negative impact on Arsenal you would think; you just do NOT want to strengthen a rival, especially a rival that you could compete with if results go your way. 

If Robin is committed (even for a year) and is focused and plays well then keeping him can only be good for Arsenal football club. He may have to go through a phrase of ‘winning the supporters back’ but it was him who put out a statement, badly advised or not, that criticised the club, the manager and the new signings. If Robin’s statement was true and he is worried about the lack of direction then come December or January, if the new signings have settled down and Carzorla in particular has started well and Arsenal are in the hunt for top honours, then surely Arsenal have a chance of re-negotiating with Robin Van Persie and the chances of him signing a deal ‘should’ increase.

It’s certainly a tough call for Arsenal and having another manager moan about the way Arsenal are handling the transfer for their best player and captain who IS under contract does not help the cause but Arsenal seem different this summer, they seem like they are not going to let others dictate or bully them into selling someone at a lower price then what they have set and may just take the chance by keeping Robin, unless a bid they cannot refuse comes in, i.e 20m plus.

Whatever happens, the summer has been a positive one with Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla coming in and perhaps one or two more still to come in, so regardless of what happens with Robin Van Persie, I am quietly confident that this could be a season to remember for Arsenal football club.