Robin van Persie gave Arsenal fans what seems to be
an almost annual shock by declaring his intention to leave the club at the end
of his contract. Yet again, the club's
most influential player and captain feels that the club is as far progressed as
possible, and feels that if they are to achieve anything in terms of
silverware, it is going to have to be away from the Emirates.
One has to feel for the Arsenal fans. Arsenal – a team that was once labeled
"The Invincibles" for their seemingly impossible achievement of playing
an entire season without losing a single game, winning the league in the
process... A return to those times does not seem to be on the immediate horizon.
Following the likes of former captain Cesc Fabregas and
Samir Nasri last season – Toure, Adebayor, Henry, and Vieira before – the
spectacular football under Wenger's tutelage just isn’t enough these days. In a way, the club is almost seen as a
stepping-stone, where you can be educated
to play the right way before ultimately leaving to achieve any actual chances
of winning silverware.
Of course, there are many reasons that could
attribute to this lull in terms of competing at the very highest level. From a financial standpoint, the loan taken
out against the stadium has yet to be paid off, limiting the spending budget as
seen in the extremely tight wage structure that pales in comparison to what is
offered at Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
But make no mistake about it.
Arsenal still has the resources to compete in spite of any limitations
brought about by their short-term loan repayments. Arsenal's scouting network is one of the best
in Europe and when coupled with Wenger’s ability to turn potential into
ability, the club can steal a march on most teams in the world in terms of
competing for the signature of the best young players in the game.
Of course, it is a regular occurrence in modern day
football for players and their agents to think that they are in control of
situations. However, there is one
underlying factor that Arsenal seems to constantly get wrong, which gives
players the power. It ultimately comes
down to their strict policy on contracts.
Arsenal’s wage structure and approach to contracts does
not reward their best players for their performances immediately. Concrete negotiations and talks of renewals
begin until the final two years, where not only the remainder of the contract is
slipping away but also the transfer value of the player is rapidly decreasing.
In leaving the negotiations to such a pivotal moment,
the power of the situation is given to the player, who has the ability to
dictate how the club works in the transfer market. If the club does not comply, they [the
player] can simply pick up and leave, leaving the club relatively powerless.
In Van Persie's case, he cited the "direction of
the club" as reason for him wanting depart the club, leaving Wenger with
the task of allowing him [Van Persie] to leave now for less than face value or
keep him for the season and leave for nothing.
In contrast, the Carlos Tevez situation at Manchester
City illustrates quite the opposite.
Tevez may have gone AWOL, but throughout the saga, City remained in
control. The club retained control over
transfer value in addition to his [Tevez's] career, having the power to let Tevez
"rot in the reserves" if he refused to play. Surely enough, after a few months of
reflection, Tevez realized that there was no loophole and returned.
Arsenal’s financial model has been praised and deservedly
so. The club spends very little yet
continues to compete in the Champions League year in and year out. However, could it be said that Arsenal
believes far too much of their own hype and focuses on their young players that
will never get to the very top unless a change is made in the approach to the
most senior and important players, beginning to value contribution immediately,
rather than rest on their laurels.
written by Gail Hidalgo
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