Arsenal fans; Losing Robin van Persie isn’t all that bad

It has been a long time in the making and threatened to engulf the entire transfer window, but on Wednesday night, the news filtered through that Manchester United had agreed a fee to sign Robin van Persie. The Dutchman last month turned down a new contract to remain with Arsenal, insisting his ambition didn’t match that of the club.

As it was, Manchester City and Juventus both showed a strong interest in the talismanic front-man, but it is United who appear to have won the race for van Persie after agreeing a £24m deal with the Gunners to secure his signature. The outcry on social networking sites was deafening as Arsenal agreed to sell their second captain in as many seasons. However, fans of the North London side need not worry because his loss isn’t THAT bad.

Before slinging a tirade of abuse my way, hear me out. At 29 years of age, it is fair to say the van Persie is in the peak of his career. However, last season was his only injury free year since his 2004 arrival from Feyenoord. Despite averting any serious injury, the Dutchman is still prone to the odd knock.

Furthermore, with just one-year left to run on his contract, the Gunners have done very well to bring in £24m for a player that has no re-sale value. Granted, he will be a massive loss at the Emirates Stadium, but at his age, bringing in that funding will go a long way to strengthening other aspects of the squad. For example, manager Arsene Wenger could put the money forward to bringing in Athletic Bilbao talisman Fernando Llorente, who recently revealed that he won’t be signing a new deal with the La Liga outfit.

That isn’t to say that van Persie won’t be a great signing for United; far from it in fact. But, Arsenal fans shouldn’t be too concerned about his departure – it’s hardly the same as Sol Campbell joining from Tottenham Hotspur 13 years ago, is it?