He Signs When He Wants

A True ‘Mr Arsenal’

There was never any real doubt that loyalty and the ‘Career Player’ are a dying breed  in football.
It can’t come as any real surprise to Arsenal fans that Robin Van Persie chose not to enter into contract negotiations to extend his current deal with Arsenal  which ends next summer. This must have been at the back of the minds of every sensible, realistic supporter.
However, what comes as a surprise is the nature of the  damning, self-serving statement issued yesterday which came as a swift kick to the teeth of the supporters and the manager at Arsenal FC who believed in the player even through the times when he never looked like ever making it off the treatment table.
Robin Van Persie did himself a dis-service and ensured that any legacy that he had hoped to leave at Arsenal has now been tarnished forever when he entrusted his PR people to issue the statement on his official website.
Part of this statement claimed:

”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.

 What is his opinion on how the club should ”move forward”? Buying Lionel Messi? Splurging £25-30million on strikers every six months á la Man City in the hope that one of them might work out? Arsenal showed their ‘ambition’ already with the signings of Podolski and Olivier Giroud. That is in itself a big statement from a club of their intent for next season.  Bear in mind that these signings were done before the transfer window even officially opened.

Yes, Podolski may be a risk but Giroud looks like the real deal. Maybe he was signed as a Van Persie replacement. Maybe not.  Arsenal do not have the spending power of the likes of Chelsea and City and can not afford to take massive risks in the transfer market. This is not a sign of lack of ambition. Just the nature of the market they compete in.

Van Persie spent the majority of last season building an image for himself as a loyal servant to the club and a role model. Photographs of a young Van Persie in an Arsenal shirt started doing the rounds. He quickly became a hero. Banners adorned the Emirates Stadium. ‘He scores when he wants’ chanted from the stands.

He lapped it all up.

His notes in the match-day programme projected an image of a leader with pride in the club and the want to ‘bounce back’ from the topsy-turvy nature of Arsenal’s defeats as well as ‘repaying the fans for their fantastic support’. The words of a fighter.

 In hindsight it was all just words. Words as empty and as lacking in honesty and integrity as The Sun newspaper which he chose to ‘write’ for.

 With every goal scored, his confidence grew. It became more and more obvious as the season progressed that his stalling on contract talks would mean one of two things. He already had it made up in his mind that he was going to go, or he was looking to rack up an impressive goal tally to use as a bargaining tool for signing one last long-term deal. If it was the latter, then questions need to be asked of Arsenal’s policy

of wage structure. But the club itself should not be held to ransom.

If Arsenal paid out £150k or £250k per week on players wages, the club’s financial security would be in jeopardy very, very quickly. As long as  Stan Kroenke is the owner of Arsenal FC, then there will be no investment in the likes of wages that we have seen at Chelsea and Manchester City. It is not in the nature of the American to be a ‘sugar daddy’ and splurge billions into the club.

To conclude, the modern-day footballer measures their achievement on the size of their pay packet rather than the silverware that exists in their cabinet. Any player that tells you otherwise is lying. What ever club Van Persie ends up at, you can be sure that it will be for monetary gain. If Manchester City promised him a Premier League Winner’s Medal for next season provided he plays for £50k a week, do you honestly think he would take it?

I think not.

 Players like Adams are immortalised in Bronze outside the Stadium forever and act as an example of professionalism, pride and honour. Players who chose to fight against adversity and who’s leadership and character earned trophies and success rather than have it gifted to them.

Players like Van Persie just act as a reminder that you can wear the armband, you can slap the badge on your chest as many times as you want but you are just another dot on the long timeline of history of this great club. A footnote. An afterthought.

Nothing more.

 

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Who Need’s Robin When…????

Might be clutching at straws here somewhat..