Arsène Wenger wants to resolve Robin van Persie's Arsenal future before the Euro 2012 finals. Van Persie, whose contract expires in the summer of 2013, is scheduled to report for Holland's pre-tournament preparations on 17 May, four days after the Premier League season finishes.
The issue of his longer-term future has been moot since he announced last September that he did not wish to discuss fresh terms until the end of the season. Van Persie's focus on his game is so intense that it was supposed he would prefer to concentrate on the European Championship finals, which begin on 8 June, before he considered the new deal on offer at the Emirates Stadium.
But Wenger, perhaps mindful of the unsettling nature of last summer when he lost Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri in August and was pressed into a frantic transfer market swoop, wants clarity at the outset this time. "That will be sorted at the end of the season," he said, on the subject of Van Persie's future. "Yes, it will be before the Euros."
Van Persie would be tempted to push for a move to Barcelona, if the Spanish club were to make an offer, while Real Madrid might also appeal. It is unclear whether he would be receptive to a transfer to Manchester City, who number among his other admirers. Arsenal reserve the right to hold him to the final 12 months of his contract and they have made it clear that it is a course they are considering. Van Persie has been able to blot out the side-show to produce the finest season of his career, scoring 27 Premier League goals, 34 in all competitions for the club and four more for Holland. He is the favourite to be named as the PFA Player of the Year on Sunday after he plays his 50th game of the season, including internationals, against Chelsea at the Emirates on Saturday."It's beyond expectation [to play 50 matches] and for a striker, it's massive," Wenger said. "It will be very important for him to get a breather before the European Championships. When you play 50 games at that level, you suffer a little bit. But he is not in the red zone, he is physically good. He has a very healthy life … very focused on football, he takes care of everything. He is like Thierry Henry in that respect."
Wenger watched Chelsea beat Barcelona 1-0 in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg with a mixture of admiration and irritation. When questioned about Didier Drogba's antics, he replied, with a mischievous smile, that Chelsea's striker had been "good in everything he did, he did even more than expected".
The differing styles and ideologies of Arsenal and Chelsea have been highlighted in their Champions League ties against Barcelona. Arsenal took them on at their own expansive game last season, as they went out 4-3 on aggregate in the last 16, while Chelsea sought to park the proverbial bus. Wenger suggested that Chelsea had ridden their luck, as his team had done in winning the 2005 FA Cup final against Manchester United, but he predicted a more open game on Saturday. "Even for Chelsea, that's a one-day situation," Wenger said of their defensive approach against Barcelona.
The imperative for Arsenal is to recover from Monday's shock home defeat to Wigan Athletic. If they were to suffer another slip-up, they would surrender control of their destiny, in terms of Champions League qualification. "We will not be allowed two [mistakes] and we know that," Wenger said.