Van Persie bides his time

London - Arsenal fans were given fresh cause for concern on Monday when it emerged that captain Robin van Persie is stalling over signing a new contract.

The 28-year-old Dutch striker netted his 100th Arsenal goal in Saturday's 3-0 victory at home to Bolton as the Gunners recorded just their second victory of what is proving to be a difficult campaign.

However, van Persie is believed to be concerned about the club's future following the sales of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, and has sought assurances from coach Arsene Wenger that Arsenal's ambition remains intact.

Nasri joined Manchester City last month after electing not to extend his contract.

Wenger could face a similar problem with van Persie, whose contract expires in 2013 and who revealed on Monday that talks over a possible extension were at the back of his mind.

"Maybe I'll leave it (holding talks) because the main thing for me is the team and that we play well," van Persie was reported as saying in a number of national newspapers.

"I do believe you have to look for a right moment to sit down and speak about your own stuff.

"It's not only about me, it's about the team. We are not talking now because we are so busy -- we have games every three or four days.

"I don't think it's clever to do that during the season."

He added: "I still have almost two years left here, so for the moment that's fine. But I don't know, we will have to look.

"I'm happy with my contract, I'm good. That's how it is, I can't say much more. I can't look into the future."