It’s official. Robin van Persie might never be allowed back to North London again as he signed with one of the Gunners’ league rivals, Manchester United.
Last year’s EPL league leading 30 goal scoring phenom, Robin Van Persie, has left Arsenal for a reported 24-million pound transfer. While this improves United in the goal scoring department, is it necessary? Netting goals was a category they didn’t lack in, finishing 2nd in the EPL with 89 goals next to rivals and league winners Manchester City, who tallied 93. Also, the Devils had players all over the leaderboard in assists last season with set-up men like Antonio Valencia and Ryan Giggs, not to mention their main target Wayne Rooney, who has been known to be clever with the ball.
Speaking of Rooney, the hot-headed star player has been known as United’s best player for many years now, but how will he take the signing of another star that can easily equal or surpass his talent for finding the back of the net? Rooney answered that question himself last week in interviews and through his Twitter account saying he wanted United to sign van Persie, and in the past has said United needs more big name players up front. Well now he has it for the first time since 2004-2006, when a young Rooney played behind another Dutch hitman, Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
Rooney was an important piece to United’s season, and helped Ruud to a 2nd-place finish in the EPL goal race with 21 goals behind only Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, who had 27. Now Rooney with added experience and clever feet, will play behind Robin Van Persie – it sounds like a great tandem in the making. We all know Wayne’s competitive side, but I feel this will make him have to step it up a notch if he wants to remain United’s finest, something he has not had to do in a while as he has been regarded as England and United’s top man with not much competition since Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rooney is not looked at as a set up man, but you might think twice after this season with another high-profile striker. I have seen a lot of players in the last few years succeed in large part due to the extra attention given to Rooney, leaving them with more room to work on the pitch. Hernandez, Berbatov and Welbeck are nowhere near top class forwards at this point in their careers.
Take Welbeck for example. I watched so many games last year when Rooney played with Welbeck, and it was Rooney taking the great brunt of the work load while Welbeck struggled to finish many scoring chances set up mainly by Rooney himself. Adding Robin van Persie is quite an improvement as far as finishing goes, and is a dramatic improvement over what United have had to complement Rooney over the past few seasons.
Even though I think United is more lacking in the centre mid and defensive areas, I am extremely excited with the signing. I am very shocked that Manchester City seemed to let United have him with little fight. With the money at City, I would have thought they would have found it worth it to pay the 24-million (or more) just to keep him from United, knowing RvP is one of the world’s greatest strikers.
Until today I thought Manchester City was going to run away with the league, but it looks like it will be another barn-burner between the two clubs with Chelsea making improvements too! Get ready for some excitement, EPL fans. With goal scorers like Aguero, Balotelli, Rooney, and Van Persie you might see some very fancy football.
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