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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I dont agree with this article at all. Sell RVP? Okay i can live with that, but making the young man look like the devil here is wrong. I am appalled to read some coments from Arsenal fans painting RVP bad. We are not addressing the issue, the Board is the problem. No ambition at all. As a fan i cant smile to the bank at the end of the fiscal year but i can brag about the trophies. Dont think that is too much to ask for.
” He claims to love the club but this is no way to show it ”
Why is that? Because he has the courage to stand up and say what he feels? The management/board of this club has shown no sporting ambition. 4th place and if possible 3rd would appear to be as much of a prize as they are after. Van Persie in what amounts to the final major contract of his career has every right as do other players to ask if this is enough. For fans let me ask, do you think that a simple place in the CL is enough? The longer Arsenal remains away from the winners’ circle the more difficult it will become for it to keep key players. Sure they will attract many footballers but those who are on their way up. Once they are playing well, they will leave just as Fabregas , Nasri and others have.
Robin van Persie has given us 8 years of his playing career. If in staying with us, all he asks is that we give him back the chance of winning and we can’t even do that, then I’ll wager that we will lose other players too. There are those who will lay the blame at RvP’s for for this but in truth and though they may not wish to see it, the problem and it’s solution lies with the board and CEO of our club. Arsenal are a sporting entity. Sadly they see it as a business entity, nothing else
if we sold rvp and walcott realistic price we should get at least 45mil for the both plus any extra if a good deal is done we would also save the 7mil sign on bonus we would of paid them totals 52 mil
giroud – 12mil
podolski – 11 mil
hoile…tt – 4 mil
demba ba – 7mil
vertongan – 11mil
paul robinson – 1.5 mil
johnson – 10mil
totals – 56 mil
we would only have used about 4 mil of our transfer budget for the window then we hopefully would sell arshavin, diaby, vela, bendtner, park, chamahk, djourou, squilaci, fabianski, mannone, denilson, miquel, these sales should bring in around 40mil giving us 35 mil to sign a holding mid and an attacking mid options such as m’vila for 16 mil and erikson for 17 mil or sahin from madrid, would have us even i would still look at bringing in one further attacker either adrian lopez from athletico or seydou doumbia.
History has taught us that History have thought us absolutely nothing!
What has happened to the monies we got from previous sales of players? Was all of it re-invested in new players?
This board would only spend a third! How soon we forget!
Ray Parlour is very foolish, may I suggest he return and carefully read RvP comments before doing the usual gassing. He (Parlour) will be the first to knock the team’s lack lustre performances for not delivering silverware. But the moment a player stands up and tell it as is it. He joins the long list of those writing rubbish.
Why not be serious and call it as it is, by saying Arsenal has done some great things down the years, but in the past seven years there has not been an appetite by the Board as regards football, but around money and gloating about past History.
What should be published now is the minutes of the meeting between Wenger, Ivan and RvP. In my book RvP or Captain Couragous has demonstrated more bottle and character than those little men they call legends.
I have been a supporter of Arsenal for 30+ years and apart from Henry have never had a players’ named shirt. I will order an RvP shirt even if he leaves the club.
Ray Parlour is very foolish, may I suggest he return and carefully read RvP comments before doing the usual gassing. He (Parlour) will be the first to knock the team’s lack lustre performances for not delivering silverware. But the moment a player stands up and tell it as is it. He joins the long list of those writing rubbish.
Why not be serious and call it as it is, by saying Arsenal has done some great things down the years, but in the past seven years there has not been an appetite by the Board as regards football, but around money and gloating about past History. What should be published now is the minutes of the meeting between Wenger, Ivan and RvP. In my book RvP or Captain Couragous has demonstrated more bottle and character than those little men they call legends.
I have been a supporter of Arsenal for 30+ years and apart from Henry have never had a players’ named shirt. I will order an RvP shirt even if he leaves the club.
Ray Parlour is very foolish, may I suggest he return and carefully read RvP comments before doing the usual gassing. He (Parlour) will be the first to knock the team’s lack lustre performances for not delivering silverware. But the moment a player stands up and tell it as is it. He joins the long list of those writing rubbish.
Why not be serious and call it as it is, by saying Arsenal has done some great things down the years, but in the past seven years there has not been an appetite by the Board as regards football, but around money and gloating about past History. What should be published now is the minutes of the meeting between Wenger, Ivan and RvP. In my book RvP or Captain Couragous has demonstrated more bottle and character than those little men they call legends I have been a supporter of Arsenal for 30+ years and apart from Henry have never had a players’ named shirt. I will order an RvP shirt even if he leaves the club.
I personally think RVP made his mind up some time ago and good luck to him.
Signing Podolski and Giroud are positive moves and need to be backed up with two more world class signings. Give TV5 the captains armband, get Jack back on the park, keep the fullbacks out of the treatment room, start the Ox every game and we’re champions !!! Simples!!
Ray Parlour is very foolish, may I suggest he return and carefully read RvP comments before doing the usual gassing. He (Parlour) will be the first to knock the team’s lack lustre performances for not delivering silverware. But the moment a player stands up and tell it as is it. He joins the long list of those writing rubbish. Why not be serious and call it as it is, by saying Arsenal has done some great things down the years, but in the past seven years there has not been an appetite by the Board as regards football, but around money and gloating about past History. What should be published now is the minutes of the meeting between Wenger, Ivan and RvP. In my book RvP or Captain Couragous has demonstrated more bottle and character than those little men they call legends I have been a supporter of Arsenal for 30+ years and apart from Henry have never had a players’ named shirt. I will order an RvP shirt even if he leaves the club.
Agree with you 100% we don’t need rvp.how can ppl compare van persies 1 yr to podolski
Its a f**ked up situation that has been created by very bad management. Most players heads will get turned knowing they only have a year left to become a free agent.
Every contract must be reviewed with 24m left if they are playing well and dont sign then its goodbye.
I can only hope we can sell these for a much as possible 40M get rid of the others players we dont need Sqallaci Free, Denilson Free, Landsbury 3M with sell on, Watt 1M, Mannone 1M with sell on, Djouoru 3M, Vela 5M with sell on, Bendther 12M, Arshivan 7M, Chamakh 6M and Park 2M
Thats 80M IN we have spent 23M on Giroud and Podoloski.
Bring In good versatile defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa 13M he get play LB and cover CB I dont rate Santos he is not a defender imo.
We also need a winger to replace Theo and I think Adam Johnson 12M-15M would be a good choice he doesnt look happy at City he is young very quick. Hoilett would have been a good option on a free from Blackburn.
Leaves 30M for a striker If we could tempt Ba from Newcastle witha cheap release clause happy days another mire expensive option or Lewandowski.
We dont need to be spending 12M on a keeper If Fab goes I’d be happy with an older back up like Gordon or Robinson. Sczcnesy is the No 1 and we have Martinez coming through.