Being an Arsenal fan for 10 years now, like other football fans, even I have taken a rollercoaster ride filled with emotions. Seeing the “Invincibles”, the legendary Arsenal players, and then the trophy drought all of a sudden has felt like two sides of a coin. And then of course, every year we have the little transfer rumours that build up and have the fans murmuring all around.
Last season, we saw two big names make the exit door – Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas. The former was hated more than ever for doing so to win trophies, and which I agree with, because he made a point to make it clear how much he hates the club and the fans every now and then after leaving. The latter however, was’nt criticised a lot as he wanted to go back to his boyhood club and no one could really blame him for that.
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But in all these years, the biggest surprise for me has come in the last few days. Turning on a player who refused to sign a contract, contributing so much to the club has really shocked me. Robin Van Persie, the banners decorating the stadiums, the chants ringing loud and clear, the idolisation of a player seems to have all gone down the drain all of a sudden. Words like ‘saviour’ and ‘legend’ have now been replaced by ‘backstabber’ and ‘traitor’. Why? Because he refused to sign a contract? First of all, coming to the point, “turning down a contract” and “leaving the club” are two different stories.
And here are a few reasons why he may not be leaving the club at all:
The Meeting
In his meeting with Gazidis and Wenger before the Euros, he claimed that no talk had been made about the financial terms and it was just about how the club’s policy should be changed.
Inference: Our captain is not hungry for money which is a good sign. But at the same time, the “veterans” wouldn’t have liked to be told how the club should be run by a player. Two scenarios can happen now:
1) Out of desperation to keep him, the club may make slight modifications to what he’s said, in case it’s feasible, and then offer him a contract, more or less on his terms, which he could sign.
2) The club may emphasise on their own plan of action and convince RVP to stay for his last season, and if a trophy travels to the Emirates, it would show RVP that maybe he was wrong. That would again make him extend his deal.
He has claimed that further meetings would follow once Gazidis is back from his holiday and for all you know, this may have been his way of going about it, to make the club aware of the danger if he leaves.
The Family
We all know the amount of love “the Persies” have for the club. Bouchra has taken to her twitter account every now and then and emphasised how well the club have stood by her husband when needed, and how much her kids love life in London. And if you’re thinking that may make our star shift to another club in the area, I’d say you were wrong. He surely respects us fans enough to not move to any of our “neighbours homes”. His mother Jose said once “Arsenal love him and that’s a great incentive to stay. Arsenal are a fantastic club.They have no debts and Robin is idolised there.” No one would want to go against their family, would they?
The Club
Though, right now, half the world says Van Persie hates the club, hates the fans etc., we all know how immature that statement is. He has always come out and spoken of how much he adores the fans and what an amazing audience they are at all games. Also, he knows he would never be treated the way he is now, at any other club in the world. The kind of football he plays, the runs the other players catch him making, the phenomenal strikes, can only be seen in the red half of North London. If the haters would have noticed, he may have been linked to dozens of clubs, but have you ever seen him praising another club or seeking a move there? With Juventus supposedly looking “favourites” to capture the hitman, why would he move to an inferior league?
All these points seem to be making us fans dizzy, as to where the future of our player lies. But even in the case of him leaving, at the age of 28, him wanting to win trophies is completely justified and we would have to accept it. For all you know, he may have been planning to feature in the red and white kit next season, with a little drama to stir movement in the club’s shopping basket. But after seeing the reactions from all the fans on just refusing a contract, I wouldn’t blame him at all if he decides to think otherwise.
