He has 19 months left on his contract and has so far refused to discuss a new deal. Fans fear that, come next summer, Van Persie will follow Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri out of the club. The Dutchman, however, does not appear likely to sign a new contract, leaving Arsene Wenger with another of those agonising choices looming in the not too distant future. Does he sell his captain as he did when Samir Nasri hit the same point last summer? Or does he dig in and insist that his captain honours the final year of his contract before leaving on a free transfer? The saga has already started.
However, Sunday's Robin van Persie show the key word was ‘commitment’. He started it by devoting a section of programme notes to his housing situation. He wanted to point out that just because he was selling his house didn’t mean he was about to move to Manchester City.His house in Hertfordshire is up for sale, he explained, but he has moved into a new one in Hampstead.
Van Persie said: "I am committed to Arsenal and that's how it is. I can see how frustrating it is from the fans' point of view but I am committed.
"This is my eighth year here and if you can say about one player that he is committed, it's me."
Wenger said: "The ideal situation is he extends the contract. He knows we are ready to talk about it. If he doesn't, you have to respect that.
"What is important is that he plays like he plays.
"We are all here to see special football players and he's a special football player."
More urgently for Wenger, the win hauls Arsenal up to 10th in the Premier League and eases the pressure. Unfortunately for Steve Bruce, it leaves Sunderland in bother, languishing near the relegation zone.
source: www.thesun.co.uk, www.dailymail.co.uk
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