Robin van Persie will NOT renew his contract at Arsenal.
The 28-year-old Dutchman only has one more year left to run on his existing deal at The Emirates, but announced yesterday on his official website that he’s not thinking about extending his stay.
This is what Van Persie’s statement read:
‘This is an update for the fans about my current situation. I have kept quiet all this time out of respect and loyalty for the club and as agreed with Mr. Gazidis and Mr. Wenger, but since there is so much speculation in the media, I think it is fair for you guys to know what’s really going on at the moment.
‘As announced earlier this year I had a meeting with the Boss and Mr. Gazidis after the season. This was a meeting about the club’s future strategy and their policy. Financial terms or a contract have not been discussed, since that is not my priority at all.
‘I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days.
‘Out of my huge respect for Mr. Wenger, the players and the fans I don’t want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward.
‘I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract. You guys, the fans, have of course the right to disagree with my view and decision and I will always respect your opinions.
‘I love the club and the fans, no matter what happens. I have grown up and became a man during my time with Arsenal FC. Everybody at the club and the fans have always supported me over the years and I have always given my all (and more) on and off the pitch.
‘I am very proud of being part of this fantastic club for the last eight years. As soon as Mr. Gazidis is back from his two-week holiday in America further meetings will follow and I will update you if and when there are more developments.’
To be honest I am not at all shocked or surprised by this – I always thought that he wasn’t interested in staying.
Am I angered by his statement? Not particularly. He has given us eight years of his life and only had one exceptional season (the previous one) with us during this time. Don’t get me wrong, he is a world-class act and is our best player. However, no player is irreplaceable or bigger than Arsenal FC, not even Van Persie.
In addition, we already have ready-made replacements in Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud ready to step in, so we won’t be left in the lurch like we were last summer when Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri left the club.
I for one wish RVP the best in his future endeavours and hope that he seals a move abroad rather than stay in England.
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RVP’s statement is a real kick in the teeth for the supporters and the club that stood by him through his injury ravaged years, not to mention the trouble he found himself in with the police.
It shows a real lack of class and if we can get £20-30m for him them we should off load sharpish. If we can’t get that amount then we should hold him to the final year of his contract.
Whatever happens he’s hugely damaged his standing and he won’t ever be able to repair that.
Thanks alot RVPwish you best of luck.remember the times you had injuries and Arsenal had faith in you now that you are OK youleave the club God wiil surely reward you and be like HLEB
Football is ruled by money – loyalty is a thing of the distant past with a few exceptional individuals bucking this trend.
Tax the buggers – tax players on a reducing basis based on years with a club, 80% tax in year 1 for anything over 1m, reducing by 10% per annum – better still UEFA should tax all clubs based on the wages they pay over 50% of their match day income and re-distribute the excess to give a minimum wage accross the board.
Until the issue of stupid money is addressed at an UEFA/FIFA level it will continue to rot the world of football. And remember all of us who pay for subscription sports channels are helping to feed the monster.
If you examine the loyalty shown to Van P – all those years when he had lengthy injuries – and the two fingers he now gives the club you have to wonder about the moral fibre of such people.
First off, I feel terribly disappointed that here is yet another player that Arsenal has built to world-class standard who wants away as soon as he has recognition. It is a very disturbing trend, repeated year after year. In many cases I hate the ingrates who do it, but with RvP it seems a bit different as it is so late in his career.
We got him for £2.7M and over the past eight years he has spent a lot of that time nursing his glass ankles. Last year, at least, he had an injury-free season and achieved what he is capable of and got all the plaudits for it, scooping EPL Golden Boot amongst all the Player of the Year awards. Sadly, that seems to have turned his head and so he wants to get away. I can’t know if he wants a final contract which will pay him mega bucks and make him rich for life (which is just greedy – Arsenal have already given and offered him enough for his financial security) or get him to a club which he thinks will offer a better chance of a medal in his final years. What I do know is that at 29 he doesn’t have many years of peak performance left and he is unlikely to deliver the heady performance of last year many more times. If he is going to do it again then next season is probably going to be his best chance. After that his market value will fall away.
What I would want to do is make him see out this final year of his signed, committed contract. He won’t sign a more valuable, new contract so we get to keep him “on the cheap” for a year – the year he is most likely to be able to continue to perform well. At the end of that he is free to walk if any other club is still interested in him, or we can offer the 30-year old striker a succession of one-year extensions.
We don’t need to cash in on him to balance our books. We have the funds to buy more players and we have already strengthened the front row. With RvP there we stand a good chance of winning something at last and if we do, he might even want to stay on.
The £8M bid from Juve was ludicrous. We mustn’t let him go to a Mancunian side, red or blue and if he is going to sulk he can stay in the dressing room for a year and lose his match sharpness.
One other worry is that if we sell him then most of the rest of the squad will be even more demoralised than they were at the start of last season and many of them will also start courting bids.
Shoot, I know that professional players don’t give a fig for their clubs – it’s just another job, another day in the office for them. Anyone who is ambitious goes out and gets the best job they can get, for the best salary they can earn for as long as they are on top of their game. Footballers are no different and who can blame them, so it has been a long time since I ‘invested’ in a particular player. I’ve never put a player’s name or number on a shirt. Even so, it would be nice to see us have some players who show a bit of loyalty by staying put and expressing loudly that Arsenal is where they want to be. It used to happen and it still happens with one or two clubs. Nowadays the whole football industry is too driven by the money. At least our club are not the hobby plaything of a bored oil sheik. Nor is yours. Let’s keep it that way. And keep RvP. To my mind, that sends a message to the player, his teammates and the rest of the league. We are not a selling club.
Having said all that, I expect the Arsenal Board to have their heads turned if they get any bids over £15M – which is pathetic. Sell the Premier League’s top scorer for that? You might as well sell players like Thierry Henry or Cesc Fabregas for a fraction of their true worth. What do you think Fergie would say if Man United were offer that for Rooney? I bet one of the words would be “off” and the other wouldn’t be much longer.
I agree. He has certainly damaged his standing. And he looks even worse than Nasri to me after this hypocritical statement. Not about money. My foot! Pull the other one. Get rid pronto.
F*ck him, he’ll end up like Hleb, Flamini, Petit, Overmars, Vieira, Reyes, Anelka not many players make it after they leave the worlds greatest club, We’ve lost much better palyers in the past Cesc, Bergkamp, Henry, Toure, Pires & Arsenal is still the pride of LONDON & will be the pride of ENGLAND again soon. IN ARSENE WE TRUST
RVP has been discouraged by Arsenal not winning anything.I support him to go. As long as Arsenal is not winning, more good players will leave.Wenger and Co wake up.
Keep him and make a point. If he doesn’t repeat his one good season, he’ll devalue anyway. It’s in his interest to perform.
I’m not surprise that he would leave the club as has his predesessors done,all left for greener pastures,he’s no different,will arsenal be in a panic mode,i personaly dont think so.what comes to mind is the youth that arsenal have at its dispose,campbel,afobe,ect,guys who will want to be there forever.i even read that wilsher said,he will retire at arsenal,come to think of it he wil be a true leader,all those before him left the honor and seek glory somewhere else.have this guy rvp not learn from those who left and are now at present unknown rejects,skirted out of a starting line and a bench is not good enough.Many players have come and go,many will do the very same.Dont blame wenger,neither the clubs wage structure or so called lack of ambition,no blame them who opt to go rather than staying and fight for honors.I know one day a2uy different arsenal will emerge,a stronger jack,who deserve the number 10,a more solid defense,lead by a mighty gibbs,a coquelin,a campbell joe,afobe,frimpog ect,.Arsenal fc will return,it can be a strike in the right direction for rvp and them ,but the fact remain,arsenal will and have stood the tests of times,surely next season they might be
back,who can tell,any man u or man city team might just find the going tough once again and will wait to benefit from arsenal’s financial policies.it’s not about the biggest wage,it’s about the honor and that gloryful day when captain jack make history,becaming the first english born captain of arsenal to lift the cup at the emirates,tony and them has done that at highbury,but emirates wants and needs a hero,if he’s english,even better.
RVP has been my favourite player since I used him in FIFA 06. I thought he might be different. Maybe he was loyal. I was so sure I even ordered the new home kit with his bane and number.
I don’t like him as much now