Finally after months of wondering what might happen to Robin van Persie we no longer have to wait to find out.
Van Persie wrote a letter to the fans and posted it up on his official website on Wednesday, stating he will not be signing a new contract with the Gunners as the club is not moving in the direction he’d like it too.
It was only a few months ago that I backed Arsene Wenger when he said that he would rather lose the Dutchman on a free next summer, should he decide not to sign on.
But after reading his letter on Arsenal.com, I honestly couldn’t care less anymore. All I see him as now is just a big bag of money and I for one think we should sell him now.
Former Arsenal great Ray Parlour seems to be on the same boat as I am. He strongly believes Arsenal must sell Van Persie this summer, rather than let him run the rest of his contract down and lose him on a free in 2013.
Parlour also believes it is crucial that Van Persie is sold for a reasonable amount so that Wenger can use that money to buy some world-class players – provided the board let him of course. We all know how difficult they can be when it comes to spending.
Parlour was quoted on talkSPORT.com saying:
‘Arsenal must sell him straight away.
‘You can’t keep a player like that.
‘I really believe that once a player says he doesn’t want to stay then what is the point in keeping him for a season?
‘The players in the dressing room know that he wants to leave at the end of the season.
‘Is he going to be 100 per cent and is he going to be really committed to Arsenal? No, because he knows at the end of the season he is going to be off.’
He added:
‘What Arsenal have got to do now is try and get the best bidder.
‘£25m or £30m, get as much money as you can and then reinvest the money in the squad.
‘The most important thing for Arsenal fans is to reinvest that money in the club.
‘Not just put it in the bank like they did with Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
‘Let’s go out and make a key signing like Papiss Cisse from Newcastle and suddenly people will forget about Robin Van Persie.’
I agree with Parlour 100%. Keeping Van Persie any longer will hurt the club, from the team, right down to the fans.
He is a player who has openly said he wants to leave. What kind of attitude will he take into the dressing room or onto the training ground? Simple answer, a negative one.
Van Persie reportedly has a £30 million price-tag and like Parlour said, we should sell and buy another star and the 28-year-old striker will be forgotten. Not in a hurry, but as his replacement reaches the heights he claimed he wanted to with us.
If he thinks signing two quality players isn’t a sign of progression then he should leave. No player is bigger than the club. He claims to love the club but this is no way to show it.
We’ve had him for nearly eight years and, in all honesty, while he was out injured we coped well. Yes we did need a large chunk of his help last season but I believe we will do even better without him next season.
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Can anyone recall the German youngster the club brought in to replace Cesc. He was sent immediately to join the reserves squad?
I strongly agree with Parlour decision. No that i do not like the young talented play but his attitude to leave d club is obvious. So there no point in keeping him because what will be his behaviour in the upcoming campaign seen he has admitted to leave.