The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Tech, Games & Sport

Will Van Persie buck the trend of Arsenal talent drain?

Will Van Persie buck the trend of Arsenal talent drain?
21 May 2012
Derek Baker
Avatar
Derek Baker
21 May 2012

Promo

SPONSORED CONTENT

With the Premier League season now over, the media turn their attention to potential transfers and contract negotiation.  Arsenal will again be in the spotlight, not least because they have another prized possession in the form of Van Persie; with 30 league goals to his name, Arsenal will no doubt have to concentrate a lot of their pre-season energy on keeping him at the club.

The striker helped turn his team’s season around following a horrendous start to the campaign and helped ensure Champions League football at the Emirates for another year. It is this same nugget that might eventually keep Van Persie at the club. He has created the atmosphere and potential for Arsenal to have top names like himself in their side. Arsène Wenger has already made a statement in terms of his transfer policy this summer, with the confirmed purchase of German Lukas Podolski, for £10.9 million from Cologne. No doubt more new faces will arrive in North London over the course of the summer, which may be a crucial factor in RVP’s decision over his future. In a sense then, Van Persie has almost single-handedly created his own dilemma – if Arsenal had failed to achieve a top three finish then his decision would have been easier.

But will the “taking part” in the Champions League, or the fact that his family are settled in north London, be enough? Lucrative offers have already been rumoured. Suitors are thought to be from all over the globe for the PFA Player of the Year, with wealthy Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala the latest club to be linked. History also seems to be against his stay. Gaël Clichy, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fàbregas all moved on after receiving offers too tempting to refuse. If Van Persie stays it will be a major show of loyalty that other players who found tutelage at Arsenal didn’t show, something that Arsenal were evidently not prepared for leading to Arsenal’s woeful start last season. This is why it remains crucial to sort Van Persie’s future out as soon as possible, to avoid another reality check so early on into a football year, and to keep in touch in the league’s title race.

A forward line of Van Persie, Podolski and Walcott would strike fear into many teams across the country, whilst a fully-fit Jack Wilshere will also aid Arsenal’s hopes of a trophy next year. However those dreams are going to be far away from reality if the Gunners keep selling their best assets. The suggestions that Arsenal are almost a feeder club to the top sides in the world needs to shrugged off, and tying Van Persie to a longer contract will help that.

Along with the aforementioned, Patrick Vieira, Ashley Cole, Thierry Henry, Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Adebayor all took the initiative to move to where the success was, which also coincided with the bigger salaries. Their moves inevitably jolted Arsenal’s long-term goals of being amongst the best-of-the-best European clubs. Money was at the heart of most of these moves and with Wenger moving early in the transfer market, with Podolski signed, and Jan Vertonghen, Yann M’Vila and Clint Dempsey all reported to be on the manager’s radar, the Frenchman may have just realised that in order to be a successful club, he may have to spend a bit of cash. The romantic notion of player loyalty is not enough, neither is the idea that Arsène Wenger does well to inspire it. 

Derek Baker

Related Items

More in Tech & Sport

How to download YouTube videos online

The editorial unit
Read More

Five reasons to look forward to gaming in 2021

The editorial unit
Read More

What kind of online entertainment can you find in 2021?

The editorial unit
Read More

Does wearable technology need more integration to take off?

The editorial unit
Read More

The most important inventions of the 21st century

The editorial unit
Read More

Six simple tips to travel from home 

The editorial unit
Read More

Five new technologies that will change everything

The editorial unit
Read More

Three ERC-20 wallets you can try in 2021

The editorial unit
Read More

What to know before decorating with RGB LED strips

The editorial unit
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Promo

SPONSORED CONTENT
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • I’m Your Man (Ich bin dein Mensch)
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • The Girl and the Spider (Das Mädchen und die Spinne)
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • Celebrate International Women’s Day with a Bombay Sapphire Cocktails & Create masterclass
    Food & Drinks
  • Kings of Leon – When You See Yourself
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Bicep at Saatchi Gallery Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • A Brixton Tale
    ★★★★★
    Glasgow
  • Surge
    ★★★★★
    Glasgow
  • The Old Ways
    ★★★★★
    Glasgow
  • Women in film introduce favourite female-directed features for new BFI series on 8th March
    Cinema & Tv
  • WandaVision
    ★★★★★
    disney
  • WandaVision
    ★★★★★
    disney
  • Coming 2 America
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Kings of Leon – When You See Yourself
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • The Dissident
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Short Vacation (Jong chak yeok)
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Chelsea win 4-3 on penalties against Bayern Munich: a great night for English football
Who to choose as Formula One heads to Monaco