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Wenger not panicked about van Persie

Comment: 0 September 28th, 2011 by: admin

No hurry on van Persie.

In a nutshell, that was the gist of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s statements when asked about his squad captain’s refusal to discuss a contract renewal.

According to the coach, the expiry of van Persie’s contract is still too far off a date for anyone to start harbouring concerns about his long-term commitment to the club.

‘You have to respect that he has nearly two years to go, so let’s not make an immediate issue of something like that,’ Wenger told reporters.  ‘Two years in football is a very, very long time.’

Van Persie, who recently hit his 100^th Arsenal goal last Saturday, had stated that he ‘can’t look into the future’ when asked about his plans of renewing his Gunner agreement, which expires 2013.

The striker furthered that he is currently happy with his present contract, and that his main focus is for his team to perform well in competition.

‘On our side we are quite clear, so that is no problem,’ Wenger insisted.  ‘I do not say there is no problem because it does not depend only on us, but we are clear with our intention.’

A departure from van Persie would only add to the high-profile exits that the club has suffered, including those of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

However the Arsenal manager only expressed his confidence in van Persie’s performances, indicating that it is ‘as high as I expect them to be.’

Wenger’s team lineup worries have recently proved larger with the announcement of midfielder Jack Wilshere’s 5-month inactivity after ankle surgery.

The Gunner’s are next lined up to face the Olympiakos this Wednesday for a Champions League qualifying match.

Commenting on the upcoming encounter, Wenger described his squad as ‘a train that started late from the station,’ and insisted that there is no more room for a loss of form and consistency.

Attesting to his players’ ability for mental strength and focus, Wenger stated that his optimism for the squad’s capacity to gain wins remains unwavering.

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