As Robin van Persie is refusing to pen a new deal, the football world picked up another buzz about Arsenal Football Club, amidst the brief boredom and break from active football that has ensued after the conclusion of Euro 2012.
The talismanic Dutchman’s stunning resurgence last season has drawn attention from the bigwigs in Europe, as well as the big-spenders. This news only confirmed what some of us had feared a while earlier, and it also continues a history of our club losing their captain and most influential players.
This ‘captain-gate’ saga began back in 2005 when reports hit the airwaves that leggy Frenchman and club captain Patrick Vieira had been sold to Juventus for £14 million. It was shocking news at the time as this was a player whose likely destination was the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid. They had courted and made several advances for the Senegalese-born defensive midfielder but he opted to stay loyal to the club and was on course to play his own testimonial as he was nearing 10 years of loyal service to the club which qualifies him for a testimonial match.
After Vieira’s sale, the armband was handed down to goal machine and club legend Thierry Henry. After two years of leading from the front, it was Thierry’s turn to use the exit door as the Catalan giants, who had been lurking with intent to poach the striker away from us for a few years, finally got their man.
Henry moved to Barcelona in 2007 and next to become the gaffer’s voice on the field was dramatic Frenchman and newbie, William Gallas. This was a surprising move by Arsene Wenger as he just joined from cross town rivals Chelsea. The obvious choice, Kolo Toure, was ignored. Though Gallas didn’t leave as captain, he was stripped due to his on-field sit down protest on the day the nimble footed Croat Eduardo suffered a leg break at St Andrews, after the Gunners lost a two goal lead.
The intelligent and vision endowed Spaniard, Cesc Fabregas was given the nod to lead the team, and he did this from 2008-2011. Fabs finally left after the lure of his boyhood club, as well as the reunion with his family was too strong to resist, and he forced his way out of his Arsenal contract with three years left to run and even paid some cash to push the move through.
As it is in football, a team must line up with a captain amongst them for several reasons and Mr. Wenger opted for Van Persie to marshal his wards forward. In his first, and what looks like his only season as captain, Robin netted 30 Premier League goals, bagged two awards and broke a club record. Of course, players of this calibre and achievement automatically attract suitors from all over the globe and since contract situations are not so discreet, his contract tenure was known by other clubs and they started dangling luscious carrots in front of the 28-year-old proverbial donkey.
As it is now, negotiations are at a halt and the man says the club and him differ on the way they are progressing, and won’t be extending his contract for this reason. Simply put, Arsenal are on the verge of losing their FIFTH skipper in a row, and it is more likely that the money seeking board will rather cash in than let him walk on a free in 12 months time, as this is their priority ahead of winning trophies.
This idea of us being unable to hold onto our captains is nonsense. If I can try to show the other side of where we are:
1. RVP had a great season but is not a talisman. He has always been a great player but played no more than 20 games a season for half of his time at Arsenal. He became our only route to goal but that does not mean he was the only was we could score. Our team has never been as food when we have reverted to a single focal point of attack (Ian Wright, TH14 in his last couple of years).
2. Along those lines, the fact that we will not build our side around him for the next few years seems like absolutely the right decision given that it would be unwise to think that his injury record will improve with age. In fact, absent the drama of his website declaration, if we decided to cash in on him after his only complete season immediately after we had just signed two of the best forwards in Europe, it could be seen as great planning.
3. To compare Cesc’s leaving with Vieira, TH or Gallas is to rewrite history. Vieira and TH were both sold at the time that AW wanted them to go, we got good value for both of them and neither of them reproduced anything close to their Arsenal form after they left. Gallas was a bad captain and a trouble maker, he was not offered a new contract when his old one expired.
4. Unlike last year, we have signed replacements for RVP in June, if he leaves, we clearly need to invest in another attacking option as well as some midfield reinforcements but that would be the case whatever RVP had decided.
i just pray that we can winna da title, we deservation fro it
Arsenal board is d problem of d club. Lead AW to sign big player so dat gunners will not be losing our skipper and our star player anymore.
van pepsi is not a starmeter, man. Henry, laruen, kos, cashley are stars but vanp are not.
All this talk about leaving to win trophies is all bollox. How many goals did Van Persie, Nasri and Fabregas score between them against a relegated Birmingham in last seasons Carling Cup final. If they were as committed to winning trophies as they are to the sound of rustling pound notes then Arsenal would be ruling the premier league right now.
Good riddance to these money grabbing whores. If our our club have to bribe these fuckers to play then I’d rather watch a bunch of youth team and journey men pros giving us 100% trying to win a trophy than these cunts. One good season and some of these fuckers think they are suddenly it and run for the money
Make Arteta or Vermarlen Captain as they’ve shown more commitment in the short time they’ve been at the club than these other fucking mercenaries
Spot on!
u are just joking a round, dont ya? i love vermacrock but he is not a definite starter, I mean, our first choice cb shulda be Kos. Merte had better or equal saison than verma. he shuold bringga his first season without his usual brainfahrts.
Squillaci for captain!
i see wat u didda hear
gud coment HarrowGoona,u have my support all d way but i believe d board ought be questioned 4 all these seasonal saga.
hear, hear
Watever where the hell r the other signings don’t get me wrong I’m grateful for podolski and giroud but we shud of signed mvila maybe lloris shud of signed a right back and a cam like ben arfa or gourcuff
this aint no footie manager, silly boy.
lloris is godda shotstoppa but not an orginaza
myila is black unfortunately. he plays decent footie but theres a race issue maybe.
rb? i mean good value ind a market, who? maybe sebastian schröder from Leverkusen?
ben arfa? u have to be kidda me. he is decent at best just cause he had a good half season doenst mean he is arsenal amterial
gourcuff: yeah he is handsome but thats it. he is a failure, sorry. a magician but inconsistentissimo
Just to add what is going on with gourcuff no one is moving for him hurry up arsenal he is and will always be class apart from injury side
u mean, apart from mental side
we don’t need another diaby in our midfield. let wenger find a good player who can play continuosly so that we win games not players draining the wages but for no service read RVP in earlier years aka mr. “i won’t renew contract”
RVP is one of a few unique players in that he can play as a number 10 or number 9. He started his career as more a number 10 or attacking midfielder. Last year he lead the line but I actually believe he is a better number 10 and would have looked forward to him playing in behind Giroud with either Podolski or the Ox to the left of him and Walcott or Gervinho to the right. I actually believe that if Walcott and RVP were to go I would plump for Jovetic who looks every inch a younger right footed RVP. This lad will score goals and has creativity and technique and is at one of the more demanding leagues already. I would also expect a lot more playing time for the Ox and for Gervinho to up his game. Diaby, if fit, can join our attacking options and maybe some playing time to Afobe and Myaichi. I think the number 9 roles are well covered by Giroud and Podolski, who obviously also gives us a deeper option. After Jovetic buy Javi Martinez and we are good to go. Jovetic and Martinez will likely cost £53m but with £35m or so to come back on RVP and Walcott and money back on Chamakh, Bendtner and Vela we would almost break even. I would possibly even consider keeping Arshavin as experienced back up to Jovetic but play him centrally in behind the number 9 when we play him. Our deeper midfielder options are then Martinez, Song, Wilshere, Arteta, Rosicky, Coquelin and Frimpong. Even minus RVP and Walcott that is still a seriously good squad with a blend of power, technique and creativity, and pace and goals.
u are too optimism matter man. but just the away, i mean every supports shoulda be like u are. to be honestly, we should thankfully, that arsenal is a good club. yes, da board is not very good for us, but a manager is greatness, players are decentists, and we will win some trophy at least somewhere in da future, just wait and pray
And sign jovetic already usmanov over stan any day at least he would inject cash even if gazidis didn’t giv wenger the funds usmanov prob would coyg
stop with this coyg thinggy, its da spurs mode, dont ya know?
jovetica is godda playa, but he is proning for injuries well take it or leave it , cause he will be arsenal player neyt year buzt sorry, fiorentina is not big vlubba anymore, so we should buy him by offloading samak. good business because firoentina get an awesome strikker and we get an fantastic paymaker, who can play cf, st, am,
It’s actually the last sentence that sounds too real. It’s a fact that Arsenal have lost all guys wearing the armband, though I don’t really think they basically wanted too, one man is known in that to let some players go because he feels they have nothing more to offer, that’s the gaffer and Fabregas aside which is a different story, the last 3 have not done well after their departure. Does wenger feel that van Persie won’t do us any favor next season? I believe he would love to keep his talisman for one more season but he won’t push the deal that far to be honest, anyway, I love RvP but again when a player wants to leave, there is no point to keep him abord
u luvva vanp? i mean, afta da statementaion? what da hell is wrongga w/ u?
he is a traitorman, get real, man