Former Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has revealed what happened between him and the club before his controversial move to Manchester United in 2012.
Van Persie recollected the pivotal moment when he abandoned Arsenal and clarified that the club’s refusal to extend his contract was a contributing factor in his choice, which eventually determined the course of his career.
Speaking on The High Performance Podcast, van Persie talked about the criticism he receives for leaving the Gunners.
“I get that (the criticism). But I can promise you on my kids if someone comes with proof that Arsenal offered me a deal, I will give you a million [pounds] now, today.”
Difference of opinion on the club’s future trajectory, he claimed, was the reason behind Arsenal’s decision not to renew his contract. Arsenal’s then-CEO, Ivan Gazidis, took issue with every one of Van Persie’s seven recommendations for improvement.
“I had seven points where I thought Arsenal could improve and in my opinion those seven points they should start dealing with them straight away to be able to compete with the best teams. It doesn’t really matter what points they are, what matters is that Ivan [Gazidis] decided that he didn’t agree with one single point of those seven points – which is fair enough.
“So taking that information on board, Arsenal doesn’t offer me a deal, they didn’t agree with my views – which were only to help, honest views of how the club should move forward – that is a very clear message. For me it is not an issue anymore, that’s life.
“That’s life at the top clubs, businesses make decisions and players as well in this case do as well. I’m perfectly happy with how it ended up, I went to United, we won the league, so it’s perfectly fine for me.”
Following a spell in Turkey with Fenerbahce, Van Persie declared his intention to rejoin Arsenal in 2015. Van Persie’s age and the team’s emphasis on developing new talent were the reasons given by Arsene Wenger for declining the opportunity.
van Persie still gets the same criticism from Arsenal fans today, just like he first did when he left the club.
The fans have seen a lot of big name players leave the club in the past; Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Emmanuel Adebayor and Alexis Sanchez, but none of those departures hit the fans like the Dutch forward leaving the club.
The former Arsenal striker is not even seen at the Emirates Stadium to watch the Arsenal matches. However, he can be regularly seen at Old Trafford to watch Manchester United play.
His decision to leave Arsenal was proved right when he won the Premier League title straight away. Not many players in the world would reject the opportunity to work with Sir Alex Ferguson. The legendary manager has elevated the careers of many players during his time at United and even though van Persie was already a brilliant player before joining the Red Devils, Sir Alex turned him into a winner.
van Persie won the Golden Boot award and helped United win the league title in his debut season. He scored 26 goals in the league and formed a devastating partnership with Wayne Rooney.
