Van Persie, who was crowned the PFA Player of the Year last month, has only one year left on his contract and refused to engage in contract negotiations during the 2011-12 season.

The Gunners ended the season on a high with a 3-2 win at West Bromwich Albion that guaranteed automatic Champions League qualification for next season.

Manager Arsene Wenger also signed Germany international Lukas Podolski to get quality support for the in-form RvP but the Dutch forward will only take a decision on the future after more contract talks in the coming days.

Wilshere expressed his urgent plea for the club to seal the prolific striker’s signature, stating: “It’s important we keep him.Everybody knows what he brings to the team and also in terms of his leadership qualities.”

The 20-year old added: “I think getting third place (in the Premier League) will help us do that. I know there are contract talks this week and I hope we can keep him in the team.”

Speaking of departures, French midfielder Samir Nasri made one dramatically last summer as he moved to Manchester City, who went on to win the Premier League title three days ago.

Nasri subsequently mocked the third-place Gunners for lacking ambition and Wilshere has hit back at the man he once used to learn from in the Arsenal midfield.

“I don’t know what goes on in his head. Fair play, he has won a trophy, but over the next couple of years our goal is to win a trophy and I can see us winning a trophy,” Wilshere remarked.

“Maybe he spoke too soon and hopefully we can rub his face in it next year,” the England international concluded.

Incidentally, van Persie is also being linked heavily with a move to City – a club that is already home to former Gunners such as Nasri, Kolo Toure and Gael Clichy.

Di Matteo was relieved of his duties at West Brom last February, only six months into his first season managing in the English top flight.

He has since been an instrumental piece during Chelsea’s eventful 2011-12 campaign, going from Andre Villas-Boas’ assistant to the club’s interim manager following the sacking of AVB in March.

Having guided the Blues to FA Cup glory less than two weeks ago and staring at the prospect of delivering the first ever Champions League title in the club’s history on Saturday, Di Matteo has quickly become a man in demand.

Yet, his Chelsea future remains very much undecided, which has led to speculation that he could also return to The Hawthorns to replace the recently appointed England manager Roy Hodgson.

For his part, the Italian has been quick to reject such suggestions, comparing a WBA return to the risk of embracing one’s ex-girlfriend after a break-up.

“In my life, I’ve gone back to an ex-girlfriend and it didn’t work out,” Di Matteo told reporters with a laid back approach.

In discussing the clash with Bayern at Munich’s Allianz Arena, Di Matteo indicated that he is open to managing in Germany in the future.

“I like the Bundesliga. I like the German people. I grew up in Switzerland so it’s very close, culturally, to Germany,” the manager explained.

Moving on to a more serious discussion of his commitment to Chelsea’s cause, RDM asserted: ‘”I don’t think about myself. What is at stake is we have a chance to bring the European title home for the first time in this club’s history, and that’s all that is important.

“This game can decide the history of our football club. You would join an elite of clubs who have won it before.

“We have to go into it with the knowledge we have the quality and experience to win it. I have a big drive and a big motivation to do something extraordinary for this club,” he concluded.

Hodgson, who has worked with Gerrard before in the capacity of the Liverpool manager, selected John Terry in his 23-man squad earlier this afternoon but had no hesitation in choosing the man who received the armband that once used to belong to the Chelsea captain.

“In my opinion, he is the man who merits this award or distinction. I know him, of course, as a player. I know him as a person. I know how committed he is to the England cause,” Hodgson told Sky Sports News.

The former West Bromwich Albion boss added: “He was delighted last night when I told him of my decision. I will be counting on him to help me as much as he possibly can to build the type of team unity and the type of environment that I think is going to be very necessary for us to thrive in an important tournament.”

While Gerrard’s selection as captain is far from controversial, Hodgson’s preference of Terry over Manchester United veteran Rio Ferdinand is poised to spark debate across English football.

Terry is currently facing allegations of racism against Rio’s brother Anton and Hodgson’s conversation with the two experienced center-halves led to the conclusion that they cannot co-exist.

Yesterday evening, the manager was widely tipped to drop Terry in favor of Ferdinand but ultimately proceeded with the exact opposite, presumably due to fitness concerns surrounding the United defender.

Hodgson also called up Arsenal youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – a bold decision but one that has not yet been criticized much due to the winger’s four goals for England U-21 in only eight appearances.

Ben Foster, the only player to have openly turned down an invitation to travel to Poland and Ukraine as a part of England’s Euro 2012 squad, backed his former club boss to guide the under-achieving team in the right direction.

“You can only make wholesale changes if you are organised and Roy is always organised. England will benefit from that greatly, as everybody in the team knows their job,” Foster praised the man who led a successful revival of the Baggies.

The 29-year old, who turned down Hodgson’s plea to come out of international retirement due to family reasons, added: “Your role is black and white and you know exactly what you need to do.

“At every moment in every game, every player knows what they should or should not be doing depending on what has happened somewhere else on the pitch.”

England open their Euro 2012 campaign against France on June 11 in Donetsk. While Gerrard is certainly excited to lead the national team this summer, he got some disappointing news on the club front as Liverpool parted company with legendary manager Kenny Dalglish today.

Tevez’s ill-tempered approach in mocking Manchester United was criticized throughout the media and although Nasri has not issued a personally offensive statement, his criticism of Arsenal’s fans would only worsen his reputation among the Gunners faithful.

The French playmaker joined former Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy in swapping the Emirates Stadium for the Eastlands last summer. While the latter’s move was relatively low-key, Nasri’s transfer ended up rivaling the dramatic saga surrounding Cesc Fabregas’ move to Barcelona.

Many Gooners, even those who were bitter about Cesc’s move to Barca, felt that the Spaniard’s primary reason to leave was a reunion with his hometown club. Nasri, on the other hand, became the biggest villain for joining City’s cash-driven revolution.

It was a challenging season for the Frenchman who went back-and-forth between being a substitute and a difference-maker at the Etihad Stadium. Ultimately, though, he was able to celebrate the Premier League winner’s medal this Sunday – a feat he could not accomplish during his three-year stay at Arsenal.

“People at Arsenal tried to make out that I came here for the money. I hope they are watching me now, collecting my Premier League winner’s medal. I believe they have not won a trophy for many years now,” Nasri bitterly told reporters following City’s title celebration.

Alluding to Arsenal as a smaller club than City at the moment, he added: “I made the hard choice to come and fight for my place at a big club, where they never settle for second best, and I have proved it correct.

“I now hope the Arsenal fans can get on with their lives and forget me, they should celebrate their third-place achievement and I will focus on winning titles.”

On close observation, one can see Nasri sending a subtle congratulatory message to Arsenal for finishing third in a difficult season but as the midfielder went on to explain, even that comment refers to a concerning lack of ambition at the club.

“If all that I was interested in was money, the easiest decision would have been to stay at Arsenal, picking up my money every week and walking into the team. There are many people doing this right now at Arsenal,” he concluded.

QPR were leading the Citizens 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium when they heard that Bolton were up by the same score at Britannia despite an early Jonathan Walters goal that should have been waived off due to a clear foul on Trotters stopper Adam Bogdan.

Eleven minutes from the end of regulation at Stoke, Walters scored from the penalty spot to restore the tie and perhaps draw louder cheers from Rangers fans at Eastlands than the Potters fans in attendance.

Ten-men QPR, who had been extremely resilient on defense up until that point, let a desperate Citizens attack camp in their box area and create several huge opportunities.

Substitutes Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko came extremely close to beating Paddy Kenny in the QPR goal before the latter hammered a home a powerful header in the first minute of stoppage time.

With Manchester United’s 1-0 win finalized at Sunderland by that time, City needed to match that result with a win of their own, which was sealed when Sergio Aguero slotted home clinically with only two minutes left on the clock.

Shocking scenes emerged from Wearside showing United players and Sir Alex Ferguson in utter disbelief. Ferguson later acknowledged that City deserved their moment of glory and although Wenger echoed that sentiment, he did not absolve Mark Hughes’ men of all blame either.

“It is unbelievable. Maybe QPR knew they were safe, I don’t know. Maybe they relaxed a little bit and thought they were over the line. But it is Manchester City and they can score goals. That can happen,” Wenger told the Gunners’ official website.

Wenger’s Gunners also needed to match bitter cross-town rivals Tottenham Hotspur’s result to guarantee third place and the Frenchman acknowledged that their come-from-behind 3-2 win at West Bromwich Albion was quite the nail-biter too.

“When we were 1-0 up we were nervous. When we were 2-1 down, we got back to our game again and in the end we just hung on,” the boss stated.

When asked his level of awareness about the Tottenham fixture, he continued: “Yes [I was aware of what was going on]. They were 2-0 up and basically I did not want to finish fourth. If Chelsea win the Champions League then you are not in it and you are also not [definitely] in it because you play a qualifier.”

With the third place, Arsenal have now sealed an automatic Champions League Group Stage berth and with that, also the ticket to attract more big names along with the recently signed Lukas Podolski.

However, their top concern remains the future of skipper Robin van Persie, who has remained non-committal despite a strong finish to the season.

Wenger was thrilled that his side managed to end the turbulent 2011-12 season on a high note despite a lot of drama unfolding on the final day itself.

Baggies goalkeeper Marton Fulop struggled throughout Roy Hodgson’s farewell match, gifting an early goal to Yossi Benayoun. Shane Long equalized moments later for the hosts but was clearly in an offside position, which prompted an infuriated Wenger to begin ranting at the officials on the touchline.

Graham Dorrans punished Laurent Koscielny’s poor marking moments later when he struck home the go-ahead goal for WBA. Andre Santos equalized for the visitors at the half-hour mark but a draw was never going to be enough for the Gunners.

Tottenham were in the driving seat throughout their 2-0 derby win over Fulham and had leapfrogged the Gunners by a point in the live standings up until the interval.

It took Fulop only 10 minutes into the second half to gift the lead back to Wenger’s men as he fumbled a corner clearance into the path of Koscielny, who made amends for his earlier defensive error by slotting home from close range.

For the most part, Arsenal managed to hang on to their lead comfortably but five minutes of stoppage time quickly brought in some nerves. The Baggies’ Billy Jones almost scored in the final moments of the match but Kieran Gibbs made a terrific challenge to help secure all the three points.

It was an ideal farewell for Wenger’s long-serving assistant Pat Rice and guaranteed Champions League football next season would also likely prevent skipper Robin van Persie from saying his farwell over the summer.

Nevertheless, even amid the jubilant celebrations of his side for sealing a third-place finish that was deemed extremely unlikely as late as March, Wenger took the time to criticize the referee.

The manager told Arsenal.com: “We defended crosses with resilience but as long as we did not manage a fourth goal [I was nervous]. I am still thinking of suing the referee for the five minutes of added time because my heart suffered immensely!”

Moving on to substitute Gibbs’ famous tackle, he added: “I feel he came on very well. He suffered on that flank in the second half but when he came on he won headers and won tackles to get us out of difficult situations. He deserves huge credit for that tackle.”

Winger Theo Walcott also joined in singing Gibbs’ praises: “I have to give credit to Kieran Gibbs. The boss has always says, ‘you have to be ready when you come off the bench’ and Gibbsy made probably made the most important tackle of his career so far.”

The Title Picture

Manchester City came from 2-1 behind to score two stoppage time goals against Queens Park Rangers to secure an incredible 3-2 win and with that, their first league title since 1968.

Pablo Zabaleta opened the scoring for the hosts at the stroke of half-time but Djibril Cisse equalized immediately after the interval.

Joey Barton was then sent off for the visitors after he elbowed Carlos Tevez at the edge of the box. While walking off the pitch, a furious Barton also delivered a knee to the back of Samir Nasri, which would inevitably prompt further charges.

Barton’s sending off did not derail the relegation-embattled QPR, who took the lead through Jamie Mackie in the 66th minute.

The Etihad Stadium was stunned and it remained a quiet place until the stoppage time, when the Citizens miraculously turned the tables on United.

Just as the Red Devils had marched on to a 1-0 win at Sunderland, Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero scored within two minutes to leapfrog Sir Alex Ferguson’s men on goal difference.

Wayne Rooney’s decisive goal at the Stadium of Light proved to be insufficient for the red half of Manchester, who were reduced to watching their noisy neighbors celebrate against all odds.

Relegation story

QPR may have lost the battle at the Eastlands but they won their war against the Premier League drop courtesy of Bolton’s 2-2 draw at Stoke City.

Needing a win to give themselves a shot at survival, the Trotters fell behind early to a Jonathan Walters goal. However, Mark Davies and Kevin Davies scored after the interval to put Owen Coyle’s men into the driving seat.

Ultimately, though, it wasn’t Bolton’s day as Walters scored a late penalty to take two invaluable points away from the visitors.

Bolton will now join the alreagy relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship next season. Both the Wolves and the Rovers ended the season on a low note, losing to Wigan and Chelsea, respectively.

The European drama

Arsenal came from 2-1 down to win 3-2 away to West Bromwich Albion courtesy of massive goals scored by Andre Santos and Laurent Koscielny.

Yossi Benayoun had struck early for the Gunners but Shane Long and Graham Dorrans took little time to overturn the defensive error that had allowed the Israeli to put the visitors in front.

Newcastle’s 3-1 defeat at Everton spelled the end of their Champions League chances but Tottenham claimed a huge 2-0 win against Fulham at White Hart Lane after goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe either side of the interval.

While the Spurs finish the season fourth, frustration was evident in their half of North London as cross-town rivals Arsenal claimed the best record in London – and automatic Champions League qualification – at their expense with the much-wanted third-place finish.

Harry Redknapp’s men must now wait until Saturday’s Champions League final to determine their Champions League fate. A potential win for the Blues in Munich will allow them to defend their crown next season at the expense of the fourth-place Spurs.

Midfielder Luca Marrone opened the scoring in the 10th minute for the new Italian champions, who were crowned as such last week following AC Milan’s 4-2 defeat to Inter in the derby.

The legendary Alessandro Del Piero then added a second 18 minutes later to create a comfortable cushion.

Late in the match, that comfort disappeared for a few minutes when Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner put the ball through his own net.

With the score standing at 2-1 in the favor of Juve, there was more drama to come in the final stages as the hosts were awarded a penalty at the stroke of the full-time whistle.

Andrea Barzagli stepped up to convert and seal a famous win that ensures a memorable unbeaten season for Antonio Conte’s side.

Following their relegation to Serie B after match-fixing allegations in 2006, Juventus seriously contended for the title this season for the first time in half a decade.

The outcome was the dethroning of a veteran AC Milan side, which nonetheless managed to end the season on a strong note with a 2-1 win over the relegated Novara.

Former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini and legendary striker Filippo Inzaghi scored the goals in the second half to secure a consolation come-from-behind win.

Juventus ended the season with 23 wins and 15 draws for 84 points, which is six points less than Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’, who ended the 2003-04 season with 26 wins and 12 draws for 90 points.

Next Saturday’s Champions League final against Chelsea at home is a spectacle that everyone in Munich is eagerly anticipating but tonight, Lahm and his teammates must face the in-form Dortmund in Berlin for the DFB Pokal.

Reigning champions Dortmund are eyeing their first ever couple double and having lost to the Westphalia outfit each of the last four times the two clubs squared off, Bayern’s Lahm knows that nerves will inevitably get involved tonight.

The last time Lahm won a trophy, it was the league and cup double in 2010. That success was two years ago and the left-back admits that for a big club like Bayern, silverware must be delivered on a consistent basis.

“Now is when the prizes are dished out and we have got to be there. We want titles. If you don’t get a title, then it is not a good season,” Lahm steadfastly told reporters ahead of tonight’s meeting with Dortmund.

Manager Jupp Heynckes backed Lahm in creating a sense of urgency for tonight’s match and hoping that next weekend’s Champions League showpiece does not distract any of his players.

“Of course you cannot get the Champions League final out of the players. But we have two big goals and the players know how to handle themselves,” Heynckes asserted.

Teammates chime in

Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and striker Mario Gomez, meanwhile, spent their media time wisely by rubbishing suggestions that Bayern are clear favorites against the German champions.

“It’ll be the toughest cup final I’ve played in for Bayern. At the moment, Dortmund are in optimal shape. They’re doing a large number of things right, but I’m absolutely convinced we have the quality to beat them,” Schweinsteiger stated with a balanced approach.

When asked how Bayern plan on celebrating such a big week, the midfielder refused to get carried away and argued: “I’ve not given it any thought whatsoever. What we have to do first of all is concentrate on winning the game.”

Prolific striker Gomez was even more straightforward in his press dealings, suggesting that the DFB Pokal is the top priority due to the impact it can ultimately have on Bayern’s preparations for the Champions League final.

“All that matters is beating Dortmund – nothing else! A couple of days ago, the players stopped talking about the Champions League final. The team isn’t bothered about who we’re playing. We simply want to win the cup,” Gomez emphasized.

“First of all, winning this trophy is very important for the Champions League final, for the mood at the club and next week’s training. And second, it’s the first trophy we can win this season. We’re determined to win it,” the Germany international concluded.

In a rare year that never saw him plagued with serious injury concerns, van Persie took full advantage of the opportunity at hand by smashing 37 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions.

The Dutchman was recently crowned the PFA Player of the Year, convincingly beating all his Premier League counterparts in the voting tally.

However, much of the football world still recognizes Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the two best active players on the planet.

Not only have both players enjoyed a plethora of silverware (unlike RvP), they also make it look easy to score nearly 50 goals a season.

Wenger knows that as an ambitious man in his prime, van Persie is targeting that level of success in his near future and while speculation has repeatedly linked the forward with a move away from the club, his current boss believes that the skipper can achieve his goals together with the Gunners.

“Robin has done tremendously well. Even on Sunday [against Norwich] he got us back to 2-2 and scored again to make it 3-2,” Wenger stated in a recent interview with Arsenal Player.

The Frenchman added: “Of course, you don’t know what more to say about Robin’s season because, as the numbers tell you, only special players can achieve that. You want some more goals around Robin and for him to keep at these numbers. Of course you can beat the records.”

Wenger will be counting on RvP to exhibit his top form in this weekend’s visit to West Brom, which the Gunners must win to guarantee automatic Champions League qualification.