Arsenal need to sign four top-class players to persuade Robin van Persie to stay at the club. That is the view of Dutch legend Marco van Basten.
According to the Daily Mirror, Van Basten has identified the four players as Javier Martinez, Jan Vertonghen, Lukas Podolski and Mario Goetze, who will cost the Gunners around £65million.
Van Basten, who is still close to Van Persie, and other members of the Arsenal hierarchy says Arsenal need to prove to their talisman that they can continue to compete at the top level.
He said: “The Arsenal squad must be bigger and stronger. Robin must get the feeling that Arsenal will have a squad this summer which can compete with the best teams in England and Europe.
“They can not turn around and tell him they are selling their best players like last summer. They have a gem in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but at the top level you need experience as well.”
Van Persie’s contract runs out in 15 months and he has delayed extension talks until the summer, when Manchester City are expected to make a move for him. Arsene Wenger will do his best to persuade the Dutchman to stay and qualification for the Champions League will certainly help his case.
So can Arsenal really tempt those four players, and how…
Javi Martinez
The Athletic Bilbao defensive midfielder has attracted interest from all over Europe for several seasons now. He captained Spain to victory in last summer’s under-21 European Championships and is tipped as a future international star. Standing at 6″3, Martinez loves the physical aspect of the game and is equally adept at centre-back. That doesn’t mean he can’t play though, his awareness and his range of passing with either foot make him a stand-out performer in any team.
Manchester United have been credited with an interest in the past and he did nothing to dispel that idea with a fantastic performance at Old Trafford on Thursday, as Bilbao beat United 3-2. Arsenal will face stiff competition for his signature, not to mention having to shell out upwards of £16million for the 23-year-old. However, the likes of Cesc Fabregas will talk very highly of Arsenal if he was to ask advice, and Martinez is more than willing to entertain the idea of a move to the Premier League.
Jan Vertonghen
Vertonghen is a similar case to Martinez, and I doubt that Arsene Wenger would sign both. Vertonghen is a product of the Ajax youth system and is now their captain. The 24-year-old can play as a centre-back or defensive midfielder, and can even play on the left side as well.
He is good on the ball and a great reader of the game. The Belgian international has also hinted that he may be ready to move on from Ajax, and was at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday to watch Arsenal tear AC Milan apart, despite going out of the Champions League on aggregate.
He told his friend and international team-mate, Thomas Vermaelen, that he was very impressed with Arsenal that day, and rekindling their defensive partnership at club level would be an attractive proposition for the pair, as well as Wenger. Vertonghen could be available for a lot less that the £20million that Frank de Boer quoted last summer, with his contract ending in 15 months time. There is a lot of interest in him though, with Arsenal’s north London rivals Spurs near the top of the queue.
Lukas Podolski
According to a lot or reports, Arsenal have already agreed a deal for Podolski and he will move to London in the summer for around £10million. I think this is a pretty good signing if true. Podolski has been linked with Arsenal for a long time and has an unbelievable international scoring record. He is an intelligent player with a devastating left foot and could provide the perfect back-up to Van Persie.
Podolski can also play in the wide areas and will offer an interesting option for Arsenal in tight games, should he move in the summer. Arsenal’s current back-up strikers, Park Chu-Young and Marouane Chamakh, has flattered to deceive, and Podolski could create the little extra competition for places which Arsenal really need.
Mario Goetze
Perhaps the most sought after youngster in European football, along with Eden Hazard, Goetze is a graceful attacking midfielder whose array of flicks and subtlety of passing make him one of the most exciting youngsters to come out of Germany in recent times. He has been instrumental in Germany’s resurgence, slotting in alongside Mezut Ozil, who graduated from the under-21 team the previous year. Goetze can play in a wide role, or directly behind the front-man, and his skilful dribbling and vision mean he unlock most defences.
He has been tracked by Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, as well as Arsenal for a couple of years now and the 19-year-old will command a fee of at least £25million+. Whether Arsenal are willing to part with that for someone so young remains to be seen, but signing Goetze would show Arsenal really mean business and can still compete with Europe’s elite.
