Robin Van Persie has confirmed that he has no desire to enter contract negotiations with just 12 months left on his contract at the Emirates. RVP cited a desire to win trophies and a ‘disagreement on the way Arsenal FC should move forward’ as main reasons behind his move, now he’s hotly tipped to follow in the footsteps of ex-team-mates Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy and join Manchester City or though there is some wild speculation that he will sign for Barcelona or Real Madrid.
This still remains speculation. His official statement is a long read, but can be interpreted very simply; he doesn’t agree with the way it’s run, he wants to win trophies and the club’s showing a lack of ambition. So is a summer clear out vital in order for the Dutchman to stay?
Surely Arsene Wenger will go to all lengths to protect Arsenal losing yet another club captain to the hunt for silverware. As a start he’ll have to get rid of any player considered to be ‘deadwood’. The casualties could include:
Denilson – The Brazilian just hasn’t been up to scratch for Arsenal since the 2009-10 season, he burst onto the seen at such a young age and like so many Arsenal starts; he promised so much yet delivered so little. Having captained Brazil U17’s, Denilson returned to his hometown of Sao Paulo on loan for the 2011-12 season but received a red card twice in his first three games for the Brazilian top flight team and after a series of off the field issues, he lost the support of his own fans – despite this he will return for another season on loan. There’s no place in the 1st team for Denilson with Jack Wilshire in the squad, why keep him?
Vela – Carlos Vela’s faliure to cement himself a place in the 1st XI for Arsenal has to count against him. With the arrival of two new strikers at the club, the mexicans days in the red half of North London are numbered. Having spent time on loan at Salamanca, Osasuna, West Bromwich Albion and Real Sociedad it’s clear that he is not in Arsene Wengers plans but is just eating away at the wage bill.
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Squillaci – Sebastien Squillaci signed for Arsenal in 2010 but has only played once since the arrival of Per Mertesacker. The frenchman can’t possibly count hismself any higher than fourth choice centre back behind Thomas Vermaelen (a future Arsenal captain in the making), Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker (an insult to any centre half really). Squillaci’s options are extremely limited at Arsenal but he’d be ideal for a team such as Stoke or Sunderland.
Djourou – The Swiss international is a good footballer, but not yet a great footballer. Interestingly, Djourou is Arsenal’s longest serving player. This isn’t a good thing though as all it means is he’s spent to much time warming the bench and not enough collecting valuable playing experience. As a centre back he’s doesn’t make the top four in his position at the club and is only ever used as cover for full backs and occasionally in the middle. Thomas Vermaelen’s injury last season meant that he played 18 times in the 2011-12 season for Arsenal, the same number of matches he played in the three seasons after his loan spell at Birmingham combined. If Djourou wants to play week in week out he should leave.
Chamakh – And finally to Marouane Chamakh, I had to do a lot of research into him because, having seen so little of him playing – I know so little about him . The Moroccan has found the back of the net just 8 times for Arsenal, utterly unforgivable. Arsene Wenger must sell him now that Podolski and Oliver Giroud arriving at the Emirates. If RVP is to stay, Chamakh is to go and join the likes of Eduardo and Jeremie Aliadiere as strikers who have failed to perform for Arsenal since the Bergkamp/Henry days.
Robin Van Persie has stated a desire to win trophies, if Arsenal are to challenge for those trophies they need a squad full of talented footballers not players who promised so much during their youth but have ended up warming the Arsenal bench. Some may see RVP’s statement as disrespectful to his board and team-mates but it’s the truth. Van Persie’s ambition and desire is natural for a sportsman and it’s time that Wenger learns what his senior players feel about his youth first, top 4 is better than silverware policy.
The bookies seem to think that RVP’s time at Arsenal is over with Ladbrokes quoting odds of 4/7 for the Holland star to join Man City , but Wayne Rooney was meant to leave Manchester United last season. He’s still there. The question remains, will RVP be at the Emirates this time next year?
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you have been saying all season long about dead wood or no dead wood,yet they are still here,and to be onest i dont consider vela as deqad wood,be onest with oneself and admit that he was never given an honest opportunity to show his worth,no player under the sun ( messi included )can shine with a couple of minutes on the pitch,cause thats how much time was he given during his stey with us.
Joseph,
When preparing to write your blog, I would recommend that you do some research first. For a player who “left the club (Sao Paulo) disgraced”, it must come as a shock to all involved to discover that Sao Paulo have extended the loan for another year.
The following is a nice platitude but it does not really reflect the situation:
“top 4 is better than silverware policy”
The reality is that the vast majority of fans and top players will much prefer a top 4 spot and the CL exposure to winning the Carling Cup and 8th place. The bottom line is that Arsenal fans want the club to compete for just two trophies: the title and the CL. The FA Cup and CC are peripheral.
If van Persie is truly motivated by medals and silverware only, why is he not seeking a transfer to Dortmund or Montpellier, or even back to Feyenoord (who finished 2nd last season) to help them win the title?