Source: Team_Talk
Van Persie welcomes Chamakh arrival
Robin van Persie is relishing the arrival of Marouane Chamakh - and hopes more players will join Arsenal in the summer to strengthen the team.[LNB] Morocco international Chamakh, 26, has been a long-term target for the Gunners, having almost come to Emirates Stadium last summer, and his free transfer move, worth a reported £50,000-a-week, will be officially confirmed once his contact with Bordeaux expires.[LNB]Chamakh will give Wenger some much-needed back-up in attack, an area of the pitch which was stretched by Van Persie's five-month absence because of a serious knee injury earlier in the season.[LNB]"I know him from TV. He looks good, quite strong in the air and he scores lots of goals with his head," said van Persie, who netted during Arsenal's 4-0 win over Fulham on Sunday.[LNB]"Chamakh looks quite confident on the ball too, so hopefully it goes through as it is good for all of us to have competition. I am happy to see him coming."[LNB]That victory in the final game of the Premier League campaign secured third place ahead of Tottenham, and with it automatic qualification to the Champions League.[LNB]And Wenger insists that had Arsenal - who finished some 11 points behind champions Chelsea - not lost the likes of Van Persie, captain Cesc Fabregas and defender William Gallas at various stages of the season, then both their European campaign and Sunday's final outcome could have been much different.[LNB]Van Persie feels if Wenger can bring in more cover, then there is no reason why the team cannot last the distance.[LNB]"When you look at our year, we have had really good periods and some bad periods," the Dutchman reflected.[LNB]"But we have been unlucky as well, so maybe we need a bit more depth in the squad.[LNB]"If you are unlucky with players who play in the central role, it is a killer for the team.[LNB]"I have been injured, Cesc has been injured, [goalkeeper Manuel] Almunia has been in and out, Gallas too - and that is the spine of your team, which is very important.[LNB]"Maybe we can do something there, but you need to ask the boss."[LNB]Wenger is hopeful veteran centre-back Sol Campbell will stay on for at least another season, while negotiations also continue with Gallas, who is out of contract.[LNB]Van Persie believes Campbell, 35, has provided a positive influence in what is a young Gunners dressing room.[LNB]"He is one of those characters you need in your squad," said van Persie, who captained the side again yesterday.[LNB]"If someone is easing off he tells them straight away, he says: 'this is not the way to do it, sharpen up otherwise it's not going to work'. We need that and I am very glad he is here.[LNB]"Of course he has his qualities (on the pitch) as you look at the way he came here and then the way he has been playing the last couple of months, he has been fantastic."[LNB]Wenger is also hoping Campbell will stay.[LNB]"Sol is a player who's give us a lot since he has come back," said the Arsenal manager of the man who led his Invincibles side of 2003/04.[LNB]"He has been very positive on the pitch and off the pitch, so we will have to keep some experience in the dressing room."[LNB]Campbell has not given up hope of an England recall, with manager Fabio Capello set to name his provisional 30-man World Cup squad tomorrow.[LNB]Wenger said: "He [Capello] has already made the list and [Theo] Walcott is on the list. He did not give me any indication on Sol."[LNB]West Ham trio Robert Green, Matthew Upson - a former Gunner - and Scott Parker are all said to be on Wenger's radar, along with £10million-rated Senegal defender Pape Diakhate and Fulham's Brede Hangeland.[LNB]"For me sometimes big names and big players are the same, sometimes not," Wenger reflected.[LNB]"I believe the Arsenal fans want me to bring in top players. We bought in [Thomas] Vermaelen and today he is a big player."[LNB]Wenger's own future has been the subject of speculation, with the French coach out of contract in the summer of 2011, and a three-year deal is reported to be on offer.[LNB]"At the moment I have not extended," Wenger said.[LNB]"I am very happy with my club and I am always respecting my contracts. Do I extend it and when, I don't know yet."
