Remember when, in 2003, David Beckham – with Manchester United’s title winning season and lap of honour completed – took time out to have a kickaround on the Old Trafford pitch with his son Brooklyn? Once his transfer to Real Madrid had been confirmed, his actions pointed to the behaviour of a man who knew he was saying his goodbyes. And in truth, many could see that even before the deal was done, as it had become obvious that the player and his manager no longer saw eye to eye.
There has been no fallout of this proportion between Arsene Wenger and Robin van Persie, although this observer will never forget the Arsenal captain’s reaction to the mystifying substitution of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the home defeat to Manchester United earlier this year. Aside from that, there is no evidence of any bad blood between the two. But his personal relationship with the manager is not likely to be a factor in the player deciding to move, should that be the consequence of the talks that began yesterday between the club, the player and his agent.
Van Persie’s words, when interviewed after the West Bromwich game, were understandably non-committal, although they certainly hinted that he might be on his way. However, his actions after the last home match of the season, versus Norwich, seems to leave less doubt.
The match, and the lap of appreciation, were all done and dusted by 3 p.m., but van Persie stayed at the ground until 6 p.m., during which time he had photos taken of him all over the place with different things, such as the statues outside, and with all the people he knew at the ground. The conclusion would be that he did not anticipate being around to get the opportunity again.
Interestingly though, for the away game at West Brom, as with every other away game, the club had directorial invites from their hosts, but as has been a regularity in recent seasons, nobody from Arsenal wanted to go… apart from Ivan Gazidis. But Gazidis did not watch the game alone, as he was accompanied by van Persie’s wife. You can draw your own conclusion as to why she was at the game, although after the Arsenal captain’s post-Norwich marathon photo session, the idea that she wanted to be present at her husband’s final match for the club he had served for eight years seems highly plausible.
So, the indications are that the meeting yesterday would have been one where the player had to be persuaded to remain. Doubtless an attractive increase in salary would have been offered, and the media are banding about figures like £26 million over three years, a nod to the kind of sums the likes of Manchester City would offer. But fundamentally, the player’s decision may have been already influenced not by the higher sums he could earn elsewhere, but his view on Arsenal’s footballing ambition. Major stars rarely arrive at the club these days, Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky being the only obvious ones since the stadium move, and Arshavin was over three years ago. Naturally, a star name does not guarantee a return, but the odds are considerably better than a prospect from the French league that Arsene Wenger fancies taking a punt on.
The manager will obviously argue his case by pointing toward Lukas Podolski as an example – and in fairness, the player is on a par with Rosicky and Arshavin as arriving with an established reputation, one to excite the fans. But van Persie arrived at Arsenal and was integrated into a squad stuffed with players who were big stars, huge names in world football, even if some of them actually made their reputations at Arsenal. Where, in 2012, are the equivalents of Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira, Pires, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg and Lehmann? The weight seems to be leaning towards ‘maybes’ rather than ‘definites’ in terms of what you can expect from a player. The cold-eyed ability to do what needs to be done to win a trophy has dissipated even though the wage bill has increased year on year.
But who else will join Podolski? There are echoes of van Persie’s situation in the transfer of Thierry Henry. The then Arsenal skipper agreed with the manager that he could not wait for the team to develop if he was going to win more silverware before his career wound down completely. The sands of time were not on his side. Two years after leaving Arsenal, he lifted the Champions League trophy with Barcelona, as well as enjoying two league titles in Spain. Is the 2012-13 Arsenal squad likely to be closer to success than Arsenal’s in 2007-08? That squad featured Gilberto, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor, amongst others. Depending on assurances about who else might be arriving at Arsenal this summer, van Persie will decide if his football ambitions – and every player wants to look at medals in the display cabinet once they hang up their boots – are likely to be realised in north London.
If there is no press conference held to trumpet the signing by the end of Friday, then the signs are that agreement will not be reached. In this case, the club would look to get a return on their asset while they can, although with season ticket renewals still being invited, and the Euros on the horizon, nothing is likely to happen until July. Van Persie will not ask for a move, as apparently under FIFA rules, he will receive 5% of any transfer fee paid for him if he does not, which would explain why clubs are keen to receive a transfer request from wantaway stars.
So a significant couple of days for the immediate future of Arsenal Football Club. Chances of success next season are likely to be diminished if their main source of goals in recent seasons ships out. Podolski may have a remarkable scoring record at international level, but for his clubs he has rarely achieved as much. Perhaps he needs to be surrounded by top quality team-mates to produce his best, which is an idea that seems strangely familiar…
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