The Van Persie Dilemma

Losing Captains has become an annual ritual at Arsenal Football Club in recent times. From Thierry Henry to Cesc Fabregas and now Robin Van Persie it seems as though Arsenal are less hesitant than other clubs when it comes to transfer of key players (More like Chelsea FC with their managers).

But the question to ponder is, was this transfer the right decision for Arsenal Football Club?

Would keeping Van Persie at Arsenal cause problems? My answer to this question is a resounding YES! Van Persie had reached a point of no return when he publically stated that he did not agree with Wenger’s vision for Arsenal’s future. Not to mention he enraged fans by stating that he was not going to sign a new contract due to Arsenal’s ‘lack of ambition’. Now the last thing that a manger at a club like Arsenal would want is his own captain not believing in the club.  A captain is someone who pulls the team together when all seems lost; this was something I could not see Van Persie do this season and probably Wenger felt the same way.

One solution at this stage would be to strip captaincy from Van Perise but obviously that action would have caused even more unrest in the dressing room and might have even led to mutiny among players.

Now we reach the problem that was bothering Arsene Wenger the previous week. Should Van Persie be kept till the end of his contract? This was a tricky question and according me I feel that if Arsenal had kept Persie for this season and ended up winning a trophy, he probably would have signed a new contract with Arsenal. But understandably Wenger chose 24 million pounds, over an injury prone, morale upsetting striker who may not perform for another season.

All in all the transfer could be in best of Arsenal’s interests, the only problem being that in the process they have strengthened a rival club. But if Wenger does invest the money from this transfer, Arsenal could make up for losing one of the best strikers in their history.