Why selling Van Persie is not all that bad

Theoretically, Van Persie’s move to Manchester United should come as no surprise. The saga has been going on for two months now and it is not something out of the blue like Torres’ deadline day switch a season and half back. Yet, Arsenal fans can’t believe that the man they worshipped and loved ditched them for their arch rivals. Yes it is a blow to any side to lose their captain to a close rival. Not only that, he was also their most potent attacking threat since Henry, besides being the league’s top scorer last season. However, having said all this, in my opinion there is indeed some sense behind this sale.

1) The last season was the only one in which Van Persie did not have a substantial spell on the side lines with injuries. His Arsenal career has been plagued by injuries and there was always a feeling before last season about “What If Van Persie was not injury prone”. Indeed he showed us all what he could do being fully fit for a season. Yet, there is a strong possibility maybe that injury-free season he had was just an anomaly. In that case, getting such a fee for someone with a notorious injury record is not that bad.

2) Van Persie is 29 now. For his style of play, may be he has a season or two to be considered as “peak years” for strikers. It is also perfect common sense that the older you get, the more time your body takes to recover from playing at the top level. This factor coupled with his injury record makes more sense.

3) Can Wenger risk losing Van Persie for free next season? That would be the business equivalent of scoring an own goal. It was clear that Van Persie was not going to sign a new deal, and with him entering the last year of his contract, the options were always limited for Wenger. Besides that, getting 24 million pounds for a player with only a year left on the contract is good business. Come January, his rate might have come down to less than 10 million pounds.

4) This sale would relieve Arsenal’s over–reliance on Van Persie. Last season, he carried the team on his shoulders. Such a reliance on a single player adds mental pressure on the rest of the team, and so easily the team’s fortunes get influenced by the player’s form and fitness.

His exit should make other players step up (that has always been the case with Arsenal, someone always steps up) their game and make the team more dynamic.

5) It is never a good thing to keep an unhappy player in the team against his will. An unhappy Van Persie would never repeat his heroics of last season and that tends to cause unrest in the dressing room.

6) It is not really sure whether Podolski and Giroud were bought to play along with Van Persie or in place of Van Persie. Irrespective of that, they are wonderful attackers and if they cannot fully replace Van Persie, they can at least mitigate his loss.

7) The fee obtained from his sale can be used to strengthen other much needed areas. Arsenal are pretty much covered in midfield and maybe a striker could come in handy. The defence needs couple of reinforcements with a full back and a backup for central defence a priority.

Yes, questions about loyalty in football will do the rounds. Fans will get more cynical in the future before idolizing any player but then it’s not the end of the world for Arsenal. There are some positives and as always the club will go on no matter what happens to an individual player.