Agent86: Arsenal FC and Robin van Persie

The following was written by a Friend, a Mentor and a Diehard Arsenal Supporter, Agent 86:

"Robin van Persie is looking at the next few years when he's 28, 29, 30; he thinks they [Arsenal] can't win trophies. You don't want to say it but you probably have to agree with him.'' Alan Smith

Alan Smith’s statement bothers me. Knowing that the board won’t be swayed by it bothers me more. No, I don’t want to spend irresponsibly or to upset our wage structure. I just want a powerful response to our (second consecutive former) captain’s actions that will send a crystal clear signal to all watching that Arsenal F.C. is nobody’s f*****g muppet.

Ideally, we’d have a long line of players who feel the same way as Arsene about throwing money at a problem, waiting for us to sign them. Sadly, there are far too few players of that ilk than what we need in order to properly address this latest player offensive quickly and painlessly. 

Robin van Persie’s situation is an affront to The Manager, to The Club, and let’s be clear, to the fans. Van Persie has had ONE full season with us. Granted, it’s all he’s needed to prove his class. He is a superior talent. But in comparison, Thierry Henry was as durable as they come. If robin’s eight years at the club had not been more absent than present I’d give him a pass. As it stands though the guy has trampled on the fans’ adoration for him. He has shyt on his own legacy. We got a boat load of goals and some happy moments in return but short of automatic CL qualification, what do those goals do for us now?

He looks like one who’s used words conveniently to elevate himself and his image to the fans while knowing the entire time that he was not going to sign a new contract. Some would say to get over it. That it is typical of the loyalty-challenged modern player but regardless, it is unacceptable!

What will our response be? How do we fix this?

Do we force a deal with the highest bidder, minus the two Manchester teams and Chelsea? If he’s set on joining Manchester City, as suspected, he probably will not care if PSG throws silly money at him. If we choose not to sell him to a rival, we’d probably have to keep him for the final year of his contract and accept that the situation would degrade over the course of the season – moreover, how do you trust a player who is not committed to your cause?  I also imagine that his agent would fear the worst (and surely not unprecedented scenario) that a serious injury occurs and his value diminishes.

If we play this right we can make a few people look pretty stupid.

A wiser man than I am has suggested selling Van Persie to Real Madrid for Higuain plus £10m. Not the worst idea! I’m really not sure how we handle it but it’s a blessing in disguise if done properly. It’s a chance to send that overdue message to the fans, to the league, to the football community, and to all players and their agents that we will NOT be f****d with.