I feel weird joining the van Persie circus at this point. I know everyone and his grandmum has already written about it so much you want to smack your head against the wall repeatedly. Alas, how does one avoid the fiasco completely? Well, he doesn’t. I did write a little while ago now, only minutes after his letter was published on his own website. Unfortunately, not much has happened since…
So, what is it that we actually know? With so much fluff out there on the topic, do we know anything for certain?
We know that van Persie:
- is one of the top strikers in the world
- is in the prime of his career (debatable – 29 is the new 33)
- has one year left on his contract at Arsenal
- has had injury problems in the past
- has said in an open letter that he will not re-sign at Arsenal
It is completely unsurprising that some of football’s giant clubs have come knocking on Arsene Wenger’s front step, including Manchester City (surprise, surprise!), Juventus, and most recently, Manchester United and AC Milan. Sir Al has verified United’s bid. Apparently, RvP had softened his stance on a demand for a move from the Emirates, leading many (mostly optimistic Gooners) to believe him re-signing again at Arsenal is a real possibility. So with several high-caliber options, everyone wants to know where he will end up.
Anyone who claims to know the answer is just feeding you rubbish. With several options, everyone seems to have an opinion on where they think he’ll end up. For me, I am quite confident that he will stay in the Premier League for several reasons, most important of which is that his family is very firmly established in London. His kids are in school in London, and keeping that status quo would seem the ideal scenario for him. Assuming he and I think alike in that respect, there are only a couple of clubs that can possibly afford the hefty transfer fee.
Speaking of transfer fees, do we really know what Arsenal are demanding? Careful though; what they are demanding and what they would be willing to accept are two very different animals – we saw that last year with Cesc and Nasri. From what I hear, the most reputable estimates are in the neighbourhood of 25-30 million, which seems about right, but shows how times have changed with the devaluation of many economies. To deviate just a wee bit, Porto is rumoured to be asking for around 70 million – I’ll have what they’re having if they think they will get even close to that. Anyway, back to “Mr. Greyhair” (apologies, he has left a very bitter taste in my mouth, which I finally cleared after 12 months of Cesc-less football). If Arsenal are indeed asking around 30million, I expect them willing to accept between 24-26 million. Seems low, but that is the market for a 29-year old in the final year of his contract. Sucks to be Arsenal, I know.
If we can rule out Juventus and AC Milan for a minute based on my “family” theory (yet, they are pushing hard from what I hear) that leaves the two Manchester squads as the most likely stops for Robin. First, they can afford it, but also, they are both playing Champions League football, and both will be considered frontrunners for the Premier League crown.
The pockets in City are deep to say the least, and adding van Persie to their superstar roster would be quite the trophy. Hey, if I had 10 zeroes in my bank account I would buy a van Persie myself and get him to shoot balls at Piers Morgan all day long… I like the simple things in life. Manchester City already have a great team, and I wonder if adding another striker makes the most sense. How would van Persie do with other strikers like Mario Balotelli on the roster, for whom he would have to compete with for playing time…or so I anticipate.
Manchester United on the other hand, have to spend in my opinion. Perhaps they don’t need a van Persie, but they need to spend nonetheless. My biggest hesitation with an RvP to MUFC is what I feel would not be a good tandem in Persie-Rooney. Or would it be Rooney-Persie? See where I’m going with that? Rooney can play with anyone I believe, despite his image as “edgy”, but Robin? RvP certainly was Arsenal’s undisputed leader, best player and captain following the Fabregas departure. I wonder how he would do with players on-par with him?
It’s not like the two Italian giants are not possible destinations, however; they are just not as likely in my opinion. Juventus makes sense because they are now back on the world stage with winning Serie A. Adding a player of RvP’s status might makes sense from their perspective. AC Milan on the other hand, are spiraling out of control with the loss of Silva and Ibrahimovic to PSG. They NEED a big name player, or it could be a long, frustrating season for ACM fans.
In the end, I really have no idea where he will end up, but neither does anyone else…Persie included. Will he re-sign in North London, or is the grass that much greener elsewhere? Are the Podolski and Giroud signings seen by van Persie as a sign from Arsenal that they are ready to compete WITH him for the Premier League crown, or will he see them as players brought in to replace him? Is the big money from City enough to force Wenger’s hand? Does Wenger have the gonads to tell them to “stick it”?
Who knows? Not me.
…until tomorrow, lads.
