A day has passed since the news broke that Robin van Persie would be leaving for Manchester United. I’m still numb. I had prepared myself for his possible departure but never for this. Not to them.
His move is the single biggest act of betrayal I have witnessed as an Arsenal fan. Players have left acrimoniously before and surely more will in the future but never to United. I appreciate everything he did for us and his feats last season are a chief reason the club is still in a decent position going into the season. But this move makes everything he has said in the past seem hollow and cheap. Supporters feel like they’ve been being cheated on for a year, and hoodwinked in the process.
To all appearances Robin performed admirably as a captain last season but how short-lived that was. Get all the bad eggs out. If Song is causing problems then off with him too. A key to success is unity and commitment in the dressing room and if anyone doesn’t have the same goals in mind as the rest of the squad they can head out the door. Some reports have said that Robin’s statement made up Wenger’s mind that there was no coming back and more power to him if that’s how it went down. The boss hasn’t deserved this type of treatment from players that owe him so much.
I am glad the deal is done with and at the very least we got good money for the man, just a shame he couldn’t be sold abroad. Robin, you were a legend in the making and you’ve fucked it up. No one will love you like they did at Arsenal, something you will realize when it’s too late. Van Persie is not made of stone, the abuse from the fans that worshipped him will hurt, even worse if things don’t work out perfectly in Manchester.
Luckily it’s not all doom and gloom as Arsenal have signed reinforcements in that department and there are plenty of positives to look to at the start of the season. In this week’s Pintcast I am joined by @ihateyourclub and @NYarsenal to chat about Van Persie and make some predictions for the impending season.
The Pintcast can be streamed below or directly downloaded here.
The podcast will be up on iTunes later tonight.