Arsenal's £2.75 million Success Story

Arsene Wenger is well known for finding young players rich in footballing ability, bursting with outstanding potential and carrying a very small price tag. It is one of the reasons why his career at Arsenal has been so successful. Recently however, he has been heavily criticized for that long-term transfer policy, but this week-end during a rare win in Arsenal's very poor start to the Premier League season, one player showcased the sweet benefits of Wenger's approach to transfers.

The Arsenal manager said after Robin van Persie's double strike against Bolton on Saturday in which his second goal was his 100th for Arsenal, that it would be "difficult to imagine our team without him." It is a sentiment which will no doubt be echoed by every Arsenal supporter, with the 28 year-old Dutchman not only being a massive presence in the squad as the new captain, but also a fan favourite with mutual respect between himself and the fans.

Indeed this marvellous relationship began seven years ago, when Wenger discovered a gifted young left winger with exceptional dribbling skills as well as a superb eye for goal plying his trade with the Dutch club Feyenoord. Arsenal already had a legendary striker from the Netherlands at the club in the form of Dennis Bergkamp, but at a very advanced stage in his career, Wenger wanted a replacement.

A wonderfully inexpensive bargain at £2.75 million, van Persie is now in his eighth season with Arsenal, and having been converted into a striker by Wenger, has reached the incredible 100 goal landmark, assisting an equally impressive 46 goals along the way. He becomes only the 17th player to ever reach the 100 goal mark in Arsenal's history and the only current Gunner inside the top 20 goalscorers for the club.

It is a widely held belief that without his persistent and unfortunate injuries which he has been prone to, he would have far more goals to his name, and would be far higher up the list of top scorers, and closer to another of Wenger's bargain buys, Thierry Henry, at the peak.

Van Persie's personal achievements with Arsenal are slightly overshadowed by the fact that he has only won a single F.A Cup in 2004 and a Community Shield a year later. It is a disappointing and unfortunate record for a man who could have achieved so much more with another club, yet the fact he has stayed loyal to Arsenal for so long, is another reason why he is held in such high regard.

The latest transfer rumours link him with a move to Manchester City for a fee of £30 million, and while it seems incredibly unlikely that van Persie would jump ship now, that price tag emphasises his importance as a player, leader and world-class star.

Wenger is under a lot of pressure for his role in Arsenal's nose-dive towards the bottom half of the table this season as well as the lack of trophies in the last six or so, but a success story such as van Persie's has a lot to do with the French manager. It may be a long term policy, but has proved to have paid dividends, and is one of the main actions that Wenger will be remembered for when he has gone.

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Arsenal's Miyaichi Granted Work Permit

Arsenal's 18 year-old Japanese midfielder has been granted a work permit and is now officially allowed to play for Arsenal in the Premier League.

Arsenal had lodged a special talent work permit late in July to allow him to play and work in England, and now that this has been accepted, his immediate future at Arsenal has been made a whole lot clearer.

Miyaichi has excited many around the world during his loan spell at Feyenoord when Arsenal were deciding his future as well as in his appearances in Arsenal's pre season games. He has been able to play in the pre season friendlies, as a work permit is only required for competitive games, such as the Premier League and FA Cup.

Arsene Wenger is clearly excited by the talent Miyaichi holds, showing his delight that the work permit has been granted, saying:

"We are absolutely delighted that Ryo has been granted a work permit. This is almost like a new signing for us as we weren’t completely sure we would be given the authorization. Ryo has worked extremely hard in pre season and performed well in the matches in Asia Germany and Portugal."

While the young attacking midfielder may not be put straight into the first team for the big games at Arsenal, it will be interesting to see some cameo performances in the Premier League, starting next week as well as competitions such as the Carling Cup.

 To find out more about Ryo Miyaichi, Click Here.

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New Arsenal Signing Sent out on Loan

Ryo Miyaichi, the young Japanese attacker who joined Arsenal in the new year, has been sent on loan to Feyenoord in an informal agreement.

He was offered a contract by Arsenal at the end of August 2010, but officially agreed to join the club at the start of the new year, which was exciting news for Arsenal as he has been compared to former Manchester United winger/striker, Cristiano Ronaldo - in terms of ability.Wenger praised the 18 year-olds "raw ability" and "potential" which delighted him and attracted Arsenal to bring him to London.

He will now begin to fulfill his potential in Holland with Feyenoord as Arsenal director Richard Law said:

"We don't believe in a co-operation by signing contracts and documents. It's much more important to build up a good relationship. We have similar relationships with other players and already have a good relationship with Feyenoord."

"If we can help each other out, then it is something we will look into. I see this as a shake of hands agreement."

The move is apparently part of a wider strategy to strengthen links between the two clubs - who both have similar footballing philosophies, and Arsenal believe that the Dutch club will be a good place for youngsters like Miyaichi to learn their trade before returning to England.
The Arsenal Director, Richard Law continued:

"Feyenoord must fully trust us when we say that he is a very good player. We feel they will use him in the right manner. We have not put any demands on them and it will be up to them where he will play and how much he does."