The current deal of Van Persie is valid till 2013 and Arsenal is very desperate to avoid a re-run of the situation, as they experienced this summer with Samir Nasri reaching the final in 12 months of his existing contract.

Clubs are also interested to renegotiate before the final years of contracts but Robin is the only player out of the four key players who have a less than two years left on their deals. Others are Theo Walcott, Thomas Vermaelen and Alex Song.

This 29 year old soccer player is considered to be the most important asset of Arsenal and they don’t want to lose him at any cost. Playing since the age of 21, Robin has sharpened his soccer skills beyond limits. 

In about a fortnight from now, FC Barcelona meets in the first leg of the round of 16 of UEFA Champions League. Going steady with the achievement in Liga along with visible performance on FIFA Ballon d’Or, FC Barcelona’s game has definitely sharpened the minds of supporters of Arsenal FC. And the question that is going on everyone’s mind right now is how to stop this powerful team.

Moreover, the reminiscence of the last encounter between the teams during UEFA Champions League last season’s quarterfinals is still fresh where Josep Guardiola’s team

Knock down the English Premier side 6-3. Undoubtedly, the four-goal performance of Lionel Messi’s in the second leg was the biggest contributor.

The absence of Puyol due to knee injury in the first match is quite unlucky. However, Messi, the top scorer of the last season with 27 goals combined in the Liga and Europe in 2010/11 along with 15 assists is unstoppable. It is yet to see now, how the Arsenals manage to fight him this season. In addition, 17 goal assists between Pedro Rodríguez and Daniel Alves this term, it seems Barcelona is a tough possession this time. 

The loss of striker Robin Van Persie has really been a disaster as far as the Arsenal team is concerned. The Dutch striker who is head and shoulder over the other strikers in the team has really left his club looking out desperately for different options. Although, Arsenal has Eduardo who is a brilliant player, the fact is that he has not been performing up to his standards following his injury. Then there is the Mexican ace Carlos Vela who unfortunately has not been given enough chances to prove his mettle in the Premier League.

There are still doubts on Nicklas Bendtner over his ability to compete at the highest stage. There is also a lot of uncertainty about the position at which Andrey Arshavin should play. So Arsenal does seem to have very limited options. Arsene Wenger has the task of finding a decent striker for his team which seems to be difficult if you think of the limited transfers that he has at his disposal.

The possible transfers include names like Rudd Van Nisterlrooy and Edin Dzeko. The former seems quite unlikely considering the spats that he has been involved in with the club when he was at Old Trafford. The latter too seems out of reach of the club when you consider his price range. Carlton Cole apparently seems to fit Arsenal’s bill and with his consistent performance he can be a good buy for the club who are looking for some good fortune in the upcoming festive season.

Arsenal won the match against Middlesbrough with a score of 2-0 at the Emirates. They continued to be on 4th position in Premier League table. Lady luck smiled on the center forward player Theo Walcott in seventh minute of the match when he took the Fabregas pass and took it out wide with the help of Robert Huth. The easy 2-0 victory was good enough to boost up the confidence of the team. After few thundering open exchanges, Arsenal Cruise was finally able to score one in the 25th minute.

The ball went from Russian playmaker Andrey Arshavin who is in form to Fabregas who further stroked the ball to Nicklas Bendtner. While they were playing with the ball, Arshavin passed it on to Fabregas and he dashed into the net. Bendtner got in between Brad Jones, the Boro keeper, and Fabregas but it was of no use. Replays showed that Boromanager Gareth Southgate was furious after the goal but was helpless.

Before the half hour mark, Bendtner used his upper arm to clear the corner. Gareth Southgate was fuming again when the penalty was shut down. Boro tried to take the stride in second half but Arsenal was still being dominating. The 67th minute of the match saw the second goal from Arsenal. By this time Middlesbrough team was little discouraged but they cannot let the other team augment the goal difference. Their defending became harsher. Brad Jones saved the shots on 72nd and 79th minute from Bendtner and Samir Nasri. With this defeat the chances of Middlesbrough survival seemed slim as they are on 18th position.

Arsenal has truly revamped its midfield with this addition.  The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Denilson, and Rosicky had already been on the midfield depth chart for Arsenal.  By adding Nasri, Arsenal can go in many different directions in their strategy and give them a deeper bench as all of these very talented players can not take the pitch together.

All in all, I like this move by Arsenal because it was one of the most cost effective moves in the Premiership.  Arsenal spent 12.7 million pounds on Nasri which is very cheap considering that the likes of Chelsea and Man U spent more, at times double, to revamp their respective sides.

• Brad Guzan and Aston Villa have agreed to the fee that it will take to send him from the States to England. Guzan is a good keeper and I think he will thrive in a more competitive environment. English Soccer could possibly shape the 23 year old into America’s next number 1.
• Although Barca failed at landing Arshavin, he apparently has his eyes set on Arsenal.
• Frank Lampard‘s potential move to play for the Inter side is all up to him now and it is completely his decision.
• With the completion of the Nasri signing, the Gunners are looking to complete the deal with Barca to move the unsettled Hleb.
• Former Barcelona player, Deco, has moved on to Chelsea to join former Portugal manager Luis Scolari. He moves into a rather deep midfield as they already have the likes of Joe Cole, John Obi Mikel, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Florent Malouda, Claude Makelele, and Frank Lampard.

Corrections

• After Brazil confirmed that Ronaldinho would be joining a very young Brazilian Olympic team in the Beijing Games, the FIFA has denied him. While it would have been fun to watch an Olympics with Ronaldinho on the field, Brazil has enough young players to take his place. He would have only over-shadowed somebody else’s opportunity to shine.
• Although the source from AC Milan believes that they can acquire Ronaldinho if a move is to occur. The key phrase there is: if he moves. Amidst all the speculations and rumors, Barca may decide to keep ‘dinho after all.

I have just found out that Arsenal FC, of England, yes!! The Gunners are making a academy in Commerce City, Colorado!

What this means:

Well the clubs of England know what they are doing. In plainer terms, they know how to attract players, get players, and hopefully send players to the Big Club. While this does not significantly help American clubs such as the MLS or the higher divisions of USL, maybe these leagues can learn something from the Arsenal Academy.

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