Wenger has told Robin van Persie that his future must be finalised before the start of Euro 2012, with Arsenal hoping to persuade their captain to extend his contract within a week of the season ending.
Arsene Wenger has told Robin van Persie that his future must be finalised before the start of Euro 2012, with Arsenal hoping to persuade their captain to extend his contract within a week of the season ending.
Van Persie is due to join up with the Holland squad for the European Championship on May 17 and, with the Premier League season finishing four days earlier, Arsenal will make an immediate attempt to resolve the situation. The club are ready to make Van Persie the highest paid player in their history but still regard their 'Plan B' as holding him to the final year of his contract, even though he could then leave for nothing in 2013.
Asked yesterday about Van Persie's future, Wenger said: "That will be sorted at the end of the season."
He clarified that he meant before Euro 2012, which begins on June 8. Wenger also stressed that he had no concerns with Van Persie visiting the Barcelona team hotel on Monday night to meet Cesc Fabrages and Holland team-mate Ibrahim Afellay for dinner.
Arsenal are determined to avoid a repeat of last summer when Fabregas and Samir Nasri were both sold in August and Wenger was still finalising his squad just minutes before the transfer window closed.
Van Persie will play his 50th game of the season when Arsenal face Chelsea today and, tomorrow, he is expected to be named as the Professional Footballers' Association player of the season. "For a striker to play 50 games is massive," said Wenger. "It's beyond expectation. He has a very healthy life and is very focused on football. He is like Thierry Henry in that respect."
Wenger has reminded his players of the importance of finishing third in the Premier League now Chelsea are within 180 minutes of winning the Champions League and so automatically qualifying for the tournament as the fourth English team.
Asked how he would feel to finish fourth but not play in the Champions League, Wenger said: "We would not be happy but it's the rules. It's right the Champions League winners can defend the trophy."
Wenger also praised Chelsea's performance in the 1-0 first-leg win over Barcelona. "Maybe they were lucky because Barcelona hit the bar and post but I feel Chelsea played remarkably well with the system they wanted to play," he said. "They decided to defend and only to defend. When you choose those tactics you have a 30 per cent chance to win the game."
Wenger does not expect Chelsea to replicate those tactics today. "Even for Chelsea, that's a one-day situation," he said. Of the performance of Didier Drogba, who attracted such criticism for his apparent time-wasting against Barcelona, Wenger said: "He was good in everything he did - he did even more than expected."
With Mikel Arteta out for the season due to an ankle injury, Wenger said Abou Diaby and Francis Coquelin would return to his squad today.
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