Poll: New Contract for Robben?

Some encouraging news (depending on your point of view, I guess) out of club headquarters yesterday, as several parties indicate that FC Bayern is close to re-signing Arjen Robben. The Dutch RW has been a source of controversy amongst Bayern supporters for a while. You can read a more in-depth discussion in this post and its subsequent comments, but the short version is this: he's an immensely talented player who can routinely beat double-teams and can threaten defenses from practically anywhere on the field. But he's also inconsistent, he has frequently struggled with fitness, and he's often involved in some dispute with teammates or management.

Over the past three matches, Bayern supporters have been treated to a trip down memory lane, as the "good" Robben has emerged. The recent win over Hertha was the best of the bunch, as Robben looked pretty much unstoppable very time he cut down the flank with the ball at his feet. In the wake of this corner-turning, yesterday's news was that Bayern management was close to reaching a deal to keep Arjen on board (his current contract expires in 2012). ESPN's Soccernet quoted Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as having "underlined the importance of retaining the player."

The Daily Mail contained the same language, but also noted that EPL sides Chelsea and Manchester City are lurking in the wings, possibly with an eye towards bringing Robben back to England (he played at Stamford Bridge once before, though never reached the heights he's seen in Germany). Football Fan Cast has a similar story, and other rumors even have the player headed to Juventus.

Now that he's finally playing well again, I imagine the club will want to lock Robben up for the future. At the same time, his injury-prone nature and combative personality can rear their heads at any time. We do have a talented young wing already on the line for next year (Xherdan Shaqiri), and if Chelsea or City offered us some ridiculous price, it might prove hard to turn down. So, on that subject, we're going to take advantage of one of the new site's applications: a poll. This should be self-explanatory, but if you have more complex or extensive thoughts, leave them in the comments.

Also, note that as of the time of this writing, it's 0-0 in the Pokal semi-final. Come on, you Cloverleaves!!

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That's SpVgg's nickname. I just looked it up. Thanks for reading