Another season has come to an end and yet again Arsenal are
facing the prospect of losing their best player. Their captain and talisman
Robin van Persie has one year remaining on his current contract and as expected
the vultures are circling for his signature.
Initial reports suggest that he is contemplating a move away
from the Emirates this summer after talks ended in stalemate last week. Having
witnessed his great friend Cesc Fabregas leave the club last summer few could
blame the Dutch striker for wanting to leave North London.
Unfortunately for Arsenal their lack of success in recent
seasons has seen many of their top stars leave the club to seek silverware elsewhere.
Interestingly most of the better players have gone on to win various trophies
at their next club and this is something that will not escape RVP’s attention
(or his agent’s). Even though Barcelona have failed to win La Liga or the
European Champions League this season Fabregas has still already won three
trophies this season (and should compete for their fourth against Athletic
Bilbao on Friday).
There were of course another two high profile departures
last summer with Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri deciding that Manchester City
offered a more realistic chance of silverware than Arsenal. After considerable
criticism from the fans both players were vindicated with City’s Premier League
triumph this season. It is easy to see why many of the Arsenal players view the
club as a stepping stone to future success.
If you go back even further there are even more examples.
Thierry Henry enjoyed initial success at Arsenal but when the club began to
stagnate he left for Barcelona where he won seven major titles as a player in
three seasons. Of course there is then one of the chief protagonists in the Van
Persie saga; Patrick Vieira.
After years of transfer rumours Vieira finally departed
Arsenal for Juventus in 2005 after scoring their decisive penalty kick against
Manchester United in the FA Cup, which was their last trophy. He enjoyed
considerable success in Italy where he won six titles during his spells with
Inter Milan and Juve. He is of course now working at Manchester City and will
be involved heavily with attempting to lure Van Persie to the newly crowned
Premier League champions.
This situation must be incredibly frustrating for Arsenal
fans and everyone associated with the club. However, it is a situation they
seem to continually find themselves in every year and when you look back at
history it suggests RVP will leave for pastures new this summer.
