Has the Arsenal strikeforce improved or got worse since Van Persie’s departure?

A look at Arsenal’s strikers – By LJS

The recent news of the departure of Van Persie to one of our main rivals, Manchester United, has left me in two minds. A part of me wants to hate him for his disloyalty and just be positive about the whole situation. Maybe thinking we have signed two quality players to replace one, also quality player. Then another part of me, is telling me that Arsenal are going to struggle without the amazing movement and goal threat that Van Persie offers.

At times last season, Van Persie was the only player keeping us from a mid table finish, scoring goals constantly to get back to winning games. Although he was showing huge talent at the tail-end of last season, I don’t think no one would have predicted the impact he would eventually make on the team. Make an impact he did, scoring 37 goals for Arsenal, whilst also wearing the captains armband and driving the team on. For me, Van Persie finally proved to everyone that if he can stay free of injury, he could essentinaly be one of the best strikers in Europe. Although, it did help that the team was based around him, he still performed superbly. Whether you or myself agree with his motives for leaving is irrelevant, the fact is that he has joined a rival and is a huge loss for the team. I myself, do infact think he was not driven by money, but by the chance of winning trophies at one of the most sucessful clubs in Europe, something he has been unable to do at Arsenal. But that debate is for another time.

After signing Podolski before Van Persie made his statement, he then purchased Oliver Giroud. It seemed that Wenger was preparing for life without the influental Dutchman. The German, was brought for £10.3 million. The Frenchman, for £9.6 million. Excellent purchases, especially in todays transfer market.

Lukas Podolski on paper, has what it takes to suceed at Arsenal. Playing most of his career for his boyhood club FC Koln, Podolski impressed hugely, scoring 79 goals in 169 appearances for the mostly average German side. In between his sucess career at FC Koln, he had a not so sucessful spell with German giants Bayern Munich. With better players around him, he was initially expected to shine for them, but he failed, scoring 15 goals in 71 appearances. The reason for this is still debated today. Maybe it was due to his frequent injuries. Maybe it was due to him being played out of his favoured, centre forward position. Maybe, it was due to him not being able to handle the pressure of a big club, only himself will know. The general prespective is that he will be a sucess at Arsenal, maybe needing to take time to adapt to the Premier League (like all foriegn players) but still, being a sucess. His performance on Saturday was not the most convincing, but I say give him time. I reckon as long as he is not moved around by Wenger, stays injury free and handles the pressure, then he will be just as, if not more effective than Van Persie, I truely do. But that is a big IF for me. I guess he can’t be your average player though, as he as amassed 101 appearances for Germany. Plus he is the youngest player to reach 100 caps for his respective country, ever. Still though, I have my doubts.

Olivier Giroud’s story is a quite different to that of Lukas Podolski’s. He did not develop as fast as Podolski, in fact before the summer of 2010, he had not played a single minute of football in Frances top flight. Playing for clubs such as Grenoble, Istres and Tours, he made a name for himself as a classic striker. A stiker who had the aerial ability, the strength to hold up the ball and bring others into the game, an element that has not gone out of his game since then. But despite this, nothing special could have been said of him, not until the 2009/10 season started. He suprisingly finished that season as Ligue 2's top goal scorer with 21 goals and was voted Ligue 2's player of the season.

So as it was, in 2010, Giroud signed for Ligue 1 side, Montpellier. From then on, he never looked back. Scoring 33 goals in 77 appearances, he hugely impressed everyone with his not only his goal scoring feats, but also with his link up play. Leading them to a suprise league title in 2011/12, scoring 21 league goals for them in the process, he caught the eye of many managers, including Wenger. The Montipellier president was discussing a price tag of around 30 million at one point, so for Wenger to purchase him for just under £10 million, is incredible. His performance on Saturday was impressive for me. Despite missing an amazing chance, the movement to get that chance in the first place was incredible. He also showed his ability to link up with the midfield aswell. Again, I think Giroud can be a potent Premier League stiker, but the last thing he needs is pressure. Too many times have players cracked under the pressure of playing for a top club. As Arsenal fans, we need to give Giroud and Lukas our backing. I don’t expect them to be excellent in there first year, but the second year, I do. They both need time to adapt. I hope we all remain patient with them both.

Making up the rest of our strike force, that our realisticly going to play for Arsenal again, is Chamakh, possibly Park and maybe Bendtner. The news that Spurs are after Chamakh is a suprise to say the least, but it is easy to see why Villas Boas would want to bring him to White Hart Lane. Chamakh brings a work ethic to the team that only a few players can bring. He shows committment to the cause time and time again, and whilst he may only be an average striker, he brings something else to the dressing room that is hard to find. That’s also not to say he can’t be of use. During the first half of the 2010/2011, he showed what he could do. For me, the reason he didn’t continue his form was the return of Van Persie and also fatigue. He had pretty much started most games for Arsenal over a four month period and for any player, nevermind a striker who runs long distances during the game, that would have a serious effect on fatigue. So I say keep Chamakh, as a bit part player. Every team needs a Chamakh type player for me. Park, I see him as a stupid buy and not having a future. Bendtner is different. Although he missed chance after chance at time, is lazy and has a generally bad attitude, there is no doubt he can score goals. He managed to score 22 goals in 95 apperances for Arsenal, most of them appearances being from the bench. I think if he didn’t have an ego of thinking he’s the ‘best striker in the world’, then he could have a future. But due to this, i’m affraid to say his career at Arsenal is all but over.

I don’t think our strikeforce has necessarily improved this summer, but has stayed at around the same level. Not in quality maybe, but the fact that we have replaced one quality player with two, makes me very content with the frontline. With Podolski and Giroud fighting it out for a starting spot, expect them both to raise eachothers games. This, along with the work ethic of Chamakh, makes me very confident that we can score as many goals, if not more, than we did last season.

Thankyou all for reading my article and hope you enjoyed it. Follow me on twitter at @LJSBlogger and leave a comment below this article to let me know you’re thoughts. God bless you all.

Luke

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What Robin van Persie's move to Manchester United will mean for Arsenal

Wenger did then grudgingly accept that his vision for a young group to grow together, be nurtured together and eventually flourish together, would ultimately be dependent on them sharing his outlook for Arsenal. He was in no doubt, however, that the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin Van Persie would all prove themselves to be equally committed. Two years on and we have a rather different answer.

The loyalty of the players was to themselves not Arsenal and, while that might be regrettable, there will also be those queuing up to tell Wenger that he was naive to ever think it could be different.

While Arsenal can argue with some conviction that a fee of £24 million for an injury prone 29-year-old could prove to be an inspired piece of business, the loss of Van Persie is still more damning than past departures. With Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell or even Nicolas Anelka, there was the sense that Arsenal had already had their best years. With Nasri, it was hard to avoid the suspicion it was largely about money. Even with Fabregas, there was his past affiliation with Barcelona.

With Van Persie none of the above necessarily applies. He is at the peak of his powers, Wenger wanted him to stay and he has not gone to a club who are being bankrolled by a billionaire benefactor.

In their adherence to the same self-sustainable principles that Arsenal hold dear, United are their most direct rival. Van Persie has gone primarily because he shares the fear of many supporters that this squad is no longer good enough to win major trophies.

Proving Van Persie wrong now represents the greatest and defining challenge of Wenger’s career.

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Ramsey: We’re in the dark on Van Persie’s future

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has stated that neither himself or any of his Arsenal team-mates have any clue whether Robin van Persie will be staying at the Emirates this coming season.

News of the Dutchman’s refusal to sign a contract extension was confirmed by his own official website through an open statement, which spoke of disagreements between himself and management on how the club should progress.

A majority of Gooners have voiced the opinion that Arsenal are very likely to cash-in on the Dutchman and is the most probable outcome based on  similar situations in the past, but there have also been suggestions of the Dutchman seeing out the final year of his contract.

Ramsey is quoted as saying by The Mirror to Press Association Sport:

There is no need for me to get involved in that.

I don’t know and we as players don’t know what is happening so we will just have to wait to see what happens.

From what I have seen and heard, Gooner’s are definitely for selling the Dutchman rather than forcing him to see out the remaining 12 months of the contract.

Personally, I also agree. As much class as the Dutchman has, he also has significant drawbacks that now include his age, injury record and lastly his desire (which is sure to hamper his performances).

What you guys think? Should he be sold? Should he be forced to see out his contract? Feel free to leave a comment below or discuss Van Persie in the allArsenal.com forums!

Tags: Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal, Arsenal gossip, Arsenal news, Arsenal rumours, Arsenal transfer rumours, featured, Robin Van Persie

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David Dein: Van Persie’s future must be resolved quickly

Former Arsenal Vice-Chairman David Dein has expressed his opinion on the future of current Arsenal captain and talisman Robin van Persie.

The Dutchman issued an open statement regarding his decision not to extend his contract at the Emirates, citing disagreements between himself and management on how Arsenal should progress forward.

Whether or not Van Persie stays, Dein rightly expresses the stability of the club is paramount and whatever the outcome, it just needs to be resolved quickly.

Dein is quoted as saying by Goal.com:

He has had such a wonderful season and he’s been there eight years. He’s the club captain, he means a lot to the club and to the fans.

Once a player comes out and says something like that it’s normally the prelude to a departure. But no doubt they will do all they can to try and keep him and make sure he sees out his last year.

All I would hope, for the stability of the club, is whether he stays or whether he goes, it happens quickly. You don’t want to see what happened last year when you had Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas stringing it out.

Clubs this week are going back for pre-season training. You want to have a settled squad. I hope that whatever happens with Robin, it happens quickly.

Personally, I wholeheartedly agree with Dein and I am sure a majority of Gooners do also. The last thing Arsenal needs is another drawn out transfer saga that affects player morale, disrupts pre-season and frustrates the hell out of Arsenal fans.

On the whole Van Persie saga, it is pretty clear here he has burned a lot of bridges with Arsenal and if he were to stay it would no doubt be a difficult remaining 12 months to play out in terms of his own performances and player morale.

It must beg the question, if Dein were still at Arsenal would this whole debacle have happened? His sacking from the board was an extremely sad situation and personally I wish he was still part of a club at that level, even though Liverpool are rumoured to have secured his services.

What do you guys think? Is Dein right? Feel free to leave a comment below or comment of Robin van Persie  in the allArsenal.com forums.

Tags: Arsenal, Arsenal gossip, Arsenal news, Arsenal rumours, Arsenal transfer rumours, David Dein, featured, Robin Van Persie

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Robin van Persie's decision not to renew contract gives Alisher Usmanov opportunity to attack Arsenal board

In a wide-ranging and scathing five-page letter, Usmanov accused Arsenal's board, which is led by majority shareholder Stan Kroenke, of selling the club’s best players and replacing them with cheaper alternatives. He also expressed his “deep reservations” about their policies, which he claimed were causing players to question their futures and the club’s ambitions.

The timing of the letter, less than 24 hours after Van Persie’s announcement that he would not sign a new contract, could hardly have been worse for Arsenal. The club, however, maintain that they are fully committed to a self-funding approach which, they argue, will secure both their long-term future and ultimately also offer the best chance of success.

This view is evidently not shared by Usmanov or Van Persie, who admitted publicly on Wednesday that he disagreed with Arsène Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis “on many aspects” of how the club should move forward.

Wenger will now seek urgent talks with Van Persie to determine whether the situation is retrievable. Arsenal’s official stance is that they are “confident” Van Persie will see out a contract which does not expire until next year but his release of such a provocative statement, without warning, clearly makes this very difficult.

Although no club can match Manchester City’s financial firepower, it is understood that Van Persie is also attracted by interest from both Juventus and Manchester United. There is pressure to resolve the situation quickly, with Van Persie scheduled to lead Arsenal on their pre-season tour of Asia, beginning on July 21.

Arsenal have already spent £24million this summer on signing two new strikers in Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud but Wenger will meet his scouts next week to determine his other priorities. Fiorentina captain Stevan Jovetic and Poland forward Robert Lewandowski are among the players being monitored.

Usmanov, who owns just under 30 per cent of Arsenal, made it clear that he regards the debt from building the Emirates as the root cause of the club’s recent failure to win trophies and keep key players happy.

With his business partner Farhad Moshiri, he has long called for a rights issue that would release share equity to pay off a debt that peaked at £318million in 2008 but now costs the club around £14?million a year. That would require an extra financial commitment from existing shareholders, primarily Kroenke and Usmanov, although would probably also place penalty bank charges on the club for the early loan repayment.

“It is down to our manager and not the shareholders to have to deal with the club’s tight finances, carry the burden of repaying the stadium debt by selling his best players and having to continue to find cheaper replacements,” said Usmanov.

“This policy is leading to the loss of our best players, often to our main competitors, and even causes the players themselves to question their future at the club and the club’s ambitions. The situation with our captain and outstanding performer from last season, Robin van Persie, sums this up.

“Yet again we are faced with losing our true marquee player because we cannot assure him of the future direction and give confidence that we can win trophies.”

As well as Van Persie, Theo Walcott is now into the final year of his contract and is the subject of interest from both Chelsea and Paris St-Germain.

“You can try and put a good face on a bad game for as long as you want, pontificating about the merits of this model, but it will not hide the obvious fact that it just does not allow our great manager [Wenger] to fully realise his managerial talent and deliver success for the fans who are paying the highest prices in the land,” said Usmanov.

He also claimed that securing a place in the Champions League “will be the pinnacle of our ambition again next season” and warned that, in the future, “we may see this ambition lowered further”.

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Robin van Persie's decision to leave Arsenal leads to sense of deja vu all for fans and manager alike

Discussions are understood to have been held directly between Arsène Wenger and Van Persie over the last 72 hours but, unlike when Sir Alex Ferguson somehow talked Wayne Rooney back from a similar situation two seasons ago, there is no sense of any rapprochement.

Arsenal might say that they are confident Van Persie will honour a contract which expires next summer but they will also now listen to offers for their captain. Indeed, the most significant part of Arsenal's official statement was the promise to plan with the club’s “best interests in mind”.

In practice what that means is that there will be no cheap deal. It leaves open the possibility of another drawn-out summer saga involving their captain and the problem of how to deal with their looming pre-season tour to Asia. Van Persie, Wenger and rest of the squad are due to touch down in Kuala Lumpur in exactly two weeks. Having received £24million for a lesser, albeit younger, player in Samir Nasri last summer, Arsenal value Van Persie at beyond £20million.

That stance would clearly make Manchester City favourites over Manchester United, who are also interested, although the possibility of a move to Italy cannot be dismissed. Unless one of the two big Spanish clubs become actively involved, Juventus is the most realistic European destination.

The Serie A champions are willing to break their wage structure for Van Persie and would get close to the £200,000-a-week that would be on offer at Manchester City. Whether they would also pay a transfer fee in excess of £20? million is more doubtful. That reality still makes Manchester City the favourites.

Indeed, by not rushing in this week and instead focusing on deals to reduce their wage bill — Wayne Bridge has joined Brighton and Emmanuel Adebayor’s prospective move to Tottenham is progressing — the Premier League champions have already shown considerable self-confidence.

As for Arsenal, Van Persie’s explosive statement has also been the catalyst for more fundamental questioning of the club’s strategy, with the cracks further widening this week between majority owner Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov, the second largest shareholder.

Usmanov sent a scathing five-page open letter to the board in which he blamed their policies for not only Van Persie’s disillusionment but also last year’s departures of Cesc Fabregas and Nasri.

He landed some well aimed blows, largely on previous shareholders, including David Dein, Peter Hill-Wood, Lady Bracewell-Smith and the late Danny Fiszman, for profiting so handsomely from their own stakes in the club at a time when Arsenal have been trying to keep up with the spending of Chelsea and Manchester City.

A rights issue to pay off stadium debt was again suggested, although it was also notable that Usmanov’s statement did not suggest spending that went beyond the principle of self-sufficiency.

Hill-Wood has already noted the bank penalty charges they would incur for the early repayment of a stadium loan that now only costs the club around £14 million a year to service.

Arsenal, then, cannot see how Usmanov’s suggestion would be the ‘game-changing’ change in strategy to allow Wenger to compete financially with Manchester City, Real Madrid or Chelsea. It is also clear that his outburst has lessened rather than increased the chance of Kroenke meeting him, let alone involving him. With Financial Fair-Play supposedly coming into the force and the chance for a whole range of new commercial deals in 2014, Arsenal remain adamant that their policies will ultimately deliver.

There was also frustration that the attacks from Van Persie and Usmanov should come so early during a transfer window in which they have actually been quite active. “Lukas Podolski has 100 caps for Germany and Olivier Giroud was the top scorer in France,” said one source. “We have great young players coming through and we improved to finish third last year. What money we have is available to spend. We are doing everything we can to succeed.”

The underlying problem, of course, is the chasm that exists between the expectations around Arsenal (expectations that Wenger largely created) and the reality of the wider landscape in which he now operates. Wenger admitted last year that it had been the most testing summer of his career and he said that he could write a book on what had happened behind the scenes. He was not, however, expecting such a messy sequel so soon.

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