Van Persie Tale Takes Another Unnerving Twist

The rumour mill surrounding Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie has been turning faster and faster since the end of the Premiership season.  The Dutch goalscoring machine seems to have been linked with every top club in Europe.  Now there is talk of Manchester United making a move for the talisman according to talkSPORT. 

Van Persie, 28, has only one year left on his current contract at the Emirates and as a result there has been intense speculation as to whether the striker will stay at Arsenal.

The player himself  has done nothing to curb this speculation by seemingly drawing out contract renewal talks until after the Euros.  This is usually an attempt to advertise one’s talents to the wider footballing audience and gain the best transfer possible, thus seemingly suggesting an exit.

According to the article Manchester City are ready to pay the Dutchman £250,000 a week to leave North London, while Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been linked with move.

However the suggestion that Sir Alex Ferguson may join the race seems far-fetched. It is undoubtedly true that United will be looking to strengthen their squad this summer after the disappointment of last seasons campaign.  However for me it is the ageing defence and midfield which needs the addition of new blood.  The United front-line looks dangerous and strong for the future with the likes of Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez and of course, Wayne Rooney.

Not that Van Persie wouldn’t be an amazing signing for United.  After all with Van Persie winning the top goalscorer award in the Premier League last season with 30 goals and Rooney being in second place with 27 goals, the two of them in the same team could mean it would be raining goals at Old Trafford next season.

Sir Alex is a shrewd manager and he understands better than most that football is a team game and just getting the two most potent strikers in the Premiership in one team is no guarantee for success.  They may not be able to link up together and without a dominate creative midfield creating them chances they both may struggle.

Another stumbling block for me would be the ability of Manchester United to compete financially with the likes of City, Madrid and Barcelona.  It seems a long time since United have made a big money, big name signing.  You would have to say their last one was back in 2004 when they signed Rooney.  They don’t seem to have the financial dominance they once had and Ferguson’s complaints over clubs wanting silly money for players seems to be an indication of this.

I would suggest that even if Van Persie wasn’t particularly required with United’s big club competitors, then they would price Sir Alex out of the race for his signature in an attempt to prevent a Manchester United resurgence next season anyway.

For me though, I see Van Persie ending up at either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

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