As we all already know by now, Arsenal have confirmed that they have agreed terms for the sale of Robin van Persie to Manchester United. The fee is believed to be in the region £23-24 million. RvP will travel to Old Trafford at some point this afternoon and the deal should be completed before Arsenal kick off their Premier League campaign on Saturday afternoon.
This is not going to be a rant about van Persie; he will have to deal with enough abuse over the next few days and, quite frankly, giving him the time of day is more than the Dutchman deserves. I don’t think I have particularly cared about van Persie for the last 6 weeks or so. The Robin we all knew at Arsenal FC left the club a long time ago. The fact that he has gone to another Premier League club after all that Arsenal have done for him shows how much he really cares about the club.
Below I have detailed 5 things that we have learnt from the transfer of RvP to United. There are doubtless many more, so feel free to add your own in the comments section below. I just thought that 5 was a nice number.
1) Arsenal are indeed a club that are somewhat lacking in ambition.
The fact is that other teams now see Arsenal as a feeder club. The sale of players such as Clichy, Nasri, Toure, Adebayor and Van Persie to Manchester City and United would suggest that we are no longer a force to be reckoned with. I wanted Arsenal to hold strong, refuse to let van Persie go. Forcing him to stay (although not financially viable because we would be forgoing a transfer fee next summer) would be a statement of intent. You don’t mess with us. No player is bigger than the club and all that. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way.
Cesc Fabregas’s transfer last summer was an exception, but I do not think that it is beyond the realm of possibility that Alex Song will be joining him in Barcelona within the next two weeks. It is also not that improbable that Theo Walcott (who many have forgotten also only has 1 year left on his contract!!) might move on, with Chelsea and Juventus both possible destinations.
2) Lukas Podolski can finally have his shirt number.
Arsenal didn’t give Lukas Podolski a shirt number when the squad details were announced 2 weeks ago. That indirectly tells you that they have known for at least a few weeks that Robin was leaving and pretty much negates Wenger’s statement earlier this week about how he intends to keep hold of our best players. Congratulations Lukas. The number 10 shirt is all yours.
3) Olivier Giroud is Arsenal’s new target man.
Olivier Giroud is now Arsenal’s first-choice striker. With Bendtner and Park probably leaving and Vela already gone, the only other out-and-out striker is Maroune Chamakh. Another choice is to move Podolski in from the wing, although I think that this will only happen on the odd occasion.
4) Arsenal’s new highest current goalscorer is now Nicklas Bendtner (45 goals in 157 appearances).
I have decided to include this one because I think that others may be as surprised as I was to discover that Bendtner has scored 45 goals for Arsenal. 45 goals in 4 seasons at Arsenal seems like a lot for a player that everybody complains about. Not that we are going to give him too much attention. He too wants to leave…
5) It’s not all bad…
Despite all the news about players wanting out, the fact is that we have made 3 fantastic new signings. The club was, until yesterday, moving in the right direction. As has been the case with Arsenal in recent seasons, it seems to be one step forward and two steps back. That said, there is still time for Wenger to invest in the squad. I still feel that we are 1 or 2 decent players away from a team that can really challenge for major trophies and £23m could come in pretty handy over the next fortnight (providing he is allowed to spend it).
Five things we`ve learned from RVP transfer. 1) Loyalty starts in Barclays bank.
2) Arsene Wenger is not good at selecting captains. 3) The board is finally listening to the fans. 4)Wenger has had a change of attitude and policy.
5) We must be prepared to update quickly.
i agree with your sentiment that RvP is a twat and all that…greedy little so and so…yup!
but i believe this was the best move for arsenal too. He had to go. We could not force our CAPTAIN to stay. imagine the unrest that would have caused!! and the price is good, i am surprised it got that high…lets hope we see a little reinvested..(or a lot)
Now we get a real captain in TV5 for the first time since viera instead of the default best player choice to keep them happy which is what henry, cesc and RvP have been, they are none of them leaders. TV5 is a leader.
Now we can move on and the first time in years we have a committed squad and players that want to prove themselves and WANT TO BE THERE! i tip squad unity to be at an all time high this season and it will be huge for us. I cannot say the same for mancs or manures or chavs…they all now are overloaded with ego maniacs!!
It is a craven piece of business. No self-respect. Van Pigsty could not afford a bad or “injured” season, lest his value plummet the next window, so we would have had value from his performances. These would have helped us get deep into the CL and ensure the next one. That would easily have paid for any loss of value by his leaving – if he would have left. The man is sheer mercenary. And AFC has shipped off to our sworn enemy, gifting them the top two scorers in last season’s EPL. Ray Parlour has just said this never would have happened in his Arsenal: that is a legacy that means something; the opposite of the swill that the current AFC dishes out to its fans. And to top it off, AFC will have seen Darren Damien Dien asset-strip us of 3 of our last 4 captains, all his clients and/or advisees. Insanity is repeating an action whilst expecting a different result. Well we got expectedly shafted, and sold Manure the rope to hang our prospects. If Mancini can say NO to Tevez and Balotelli and squeeze championship winning performances out of them, the fact that AFC would not say NO to Van Pigsty is the sign of a cowardly club; shockingly afraid to be holding the cards that would have extracted a good performance from this creature. The bean counters on both sides may celebrate their wins; but real gunners, caught in the middle and made fools of, have had a wake up call to the dire reality of what our club has become. What sort of sponsors would pay a premium to a club like this? It isn’t even justified in financial terms – quite the opposite.
Van Persie has proved that he never loved Arsenal just himself.He has exposed himself and will lose all respect not just from Arsenal fans.A greedy person with no appreciation for what the club has done for him during his troubled career.As Arsenal are now buying decent players to compete he has gone and stabbed us in the back going to a big rival club.This exposes his statement as pure lies. As Fabregas tweeteted shocking behaviour.
Thanks for your year of service RvP, hope you all the best in your Judas ways… I’m still coming to terms with what football has become, this isn’t just an ordinary old transfer, it’s a means to an end… Football is no longer what is used to be, there is no loyalty, no laying out another player because he plays for the enemy, just individual players worrying about the money in their pocket. Next thing you know RvP will be playing for Germany… What a joke, a club that has supported you and your family for all these years, and in one day you throw the biggest slap to all of them and join United? You are ten times worse than Nasri, he was not an arsenal player, just an individual looking for some bank… We took you in, nurtured you, supported you, and you turn your back on us… I hope it’s as easy for you to forget the last eight years as it was to sign your new contract for Sir Satan Ferguson and the Red Devils… I’m disgusted. On a more positive note, the club will move on and be fine… Think about it, how awesome would it be to win the league and another trophy this year and watch united win nothing? Arsenal- Wenger-Kroenke-board, whoever is really in control behind the scenes, if you want to continue having the best fans in the world, bring us something to be proud about, not another RvP.
love the comments so true
IT IS ALL BAD ONLY……..
This is ridiculous, Every year one of the biggest club(In paper may be) changing their captions every year. Next season we can give caption band to Song, he can leave next summer for Barca.
This is all fucking arsenal business. We can not blame RVP or any other player. Arsenal is just a business club only concentrate to make good profit. How many years they will continue this ? Just getting maximum money from Fans and not all spending.
I understand where you are coming from but to say Arsenal are a club without ambition is to misunderstand ambition. Keeping a player against his will allowing him to fester and disrupt because of what others will think of you is a lack of ambition. That would be saying the player is bigger than the club.
Song has said he is staying this season because he knows he has three years left on his contract and cannot easily force a sale. He also knows that the new additions are fantastic world class players and that the squad is already stronger than last year.
When a great goal scorer leaves we always need another player to step up and for the first time since Henry left we can see this as a possibility with two new top strikers plus three existing players Walcott, Gervinho and the Ox all ready to come to the plate in my opinion.
In some ways RVP leaving provides us with an oppertunity, let’s hope we take it with two hands.
I can see where you’re coming from with your perspective on this transfer, and I think you’re close to the truth – but some things need to be added.
1) The question of ambition: A number of people have compared the RVP situation to that of Modrić at Tottenham – that he wanted to leave a year ago and was told it wouldn’t happen and that was it. I know I made that comparison at least once. But the fact is, it was – and is – very much different then than it is now. RVP was key to our success last season, when we had no likely target man outside him. Losing him would have meant losing the whole season, CL, as well as such insubstantial values as fans’ respect. This time around, we DO have proper replacements for RVP, and we can offload him without hurting our chances. The fact that we do shows two things:
a) that we can’t (and won’t) catch up with the big spenders for some time, if ever;
b) that we’re forced to operate on a market that is commanded by some of our most bitter rivals.
Let’s face it, we HAD to sell him, and it soon was clear we could only sell him to the Mancunians. Does that relate to the question of ambition? I’m not so sure. Arsenal have for a long time operated within a fairly limited transfer budget, and have made it work their way despite it being so small. Thier ambition has been to develop and achieve despite not being on a par with the richest of the rich. I think they’re doing quite well. It’s a common misconception that a club can show ambition only by going into the red. Even when we will have paid all our debts, I wouldn’t be expecting us to invest in the Messis and Ronaldos. This won’t be our ambition ever.
4) Bendtner’s goals: Yes, it’s quite all right, but subtract 14 he scored in the FA Cup, and you get 22 league goals (in 99 games) and in the CL – 8 in 26. It’s a fine record for a fringe player, but he was called upon fairly often for a fringe player. True, he played on the wing more often than not, but he’s just not the type to score 20 or more a season.
Also, I believe Podolski scored 70 goals in 210 games in the 1. Bundesliga alone, which is pretty darn impressive. It’s 1 in 3, not 1 in 4 and then some. And he wasn’t the main outlet for hisclubs all the time.
5) You’re right, but not as far as the transfers go. First, I can’t see wenger bring in anyone now, unless Song and Walcott both leave. If they don’t, I believe he’ll be happy to use the resources he has. Which means an injured Giroud will put a strain on the team. Not the best scenario, but we better brace ourselves for it.
If Song leaves, we’ll need a replacement. It could be M’Vila, Capoue, or an unknown Martiniquan, but someone will then arrive, simply because we’re short on prospective DMs. If it comes to Walcott, it’ll depend on how Wenger sees his role this season. If he’s expected to act as either our main right winger or striker, we’ll need another one. If it’s only as a wingr, it’s a question mark again, and again, I’d suggest bracing ourselves.
The “1 or 2 transfers in and we’re good” argument is always a fallacy when you’re talking about Arsenal. When we’re not short on tested quality players, we’re no longer Arsenal. That’s the sad truth.
Appreciate your story, though. I seriously hope Gooner bitterness will yield a good fruit.
Regards.
RVP is very very ungrateful.. Wenger can never build his so called dream team, the Coach and the board are no different from politician,always using the people, they make us fall in love with these players and the club and break our heart every season… HOW DID I BECOME A FAN? ARSENAL IS NOT AMBITIOUS
Arsene wenger we need quality players that can win TROPHIES 4 d club pls find something 2 do abt it.
Arsenal took the right decision to sell RVP. This will allow the rebuilding of the Team with Wenger’s men who will be loyal. With Song also gone, the vestige of Dein a.k.a. Usmanov is broken. The next disloyal unproductive brat to follow will be Walcott. The start of the season had already point to the direction the club is going. Players are now working for one another, discipline in the defense, maximizing chances in the attack and each player conscious of his duty unlike Song leaving the defense to attack causing us to concede silly goals. Yes, the loss of RVP would be felt but would be covered very very soon and his memory consigned to the dust bin of history as the greatest ungrateful player Arsenal ever signed but you can bet it, he may be scoring goals now but would soon pick up a nasty injury and Man U would regret ever buying him and he too would be discarded like Michael Owen. As for Song nobody would miss him expect his defensive liability. If Walcott decides to leave, it would be a good riddance to bad rubbish of six years. The team is taking a new shape and the real disciplined Arsenal team is back.Wenger surely knows his onions.