By Fab4.
After a very dull weekend of no Arsenal football there were a couple of interesting transfer stories doing the rounds. First up was an interview with Robin Van Persie who revealed he turned down FOUR clubs in the summer to stay at Arsenal.
The interested parties are believed to be Premier League money-bags Chelsea and Manchester City, as well as Italian pair Juventus and Inter Milan.
Van Persie says it’s not easy to leave a club like Arsenal.
‘It is good that four teams were really interested in me but I had to turn them down.
‘Even if you want to leave, as a player, I don’t think it is easy because when you move to Arsenal you are led there by your heart.’
It’s always nice to hear players talk about their love for the club and how it would be difficult to leave, it’s something that many players over the years have said and it shows that Arsenal treat the players well and it’s appreciated.
If Van Persie did leave i would be surprised if he chose to go to another Premier League club. I could see him trying his luck in Spain where he would get a bit more protection from the refs, i’d hate him to go to Italy…he’s too good for that league.
Van Persie goes on to talk about his frustration at his injury record and how he feels it has held him back from becoming a truly great player for Arsenal.
‘Everything starts with your fitness and some players are lucky like that,’ the 26-year-old added.
‘I hate it but I can’t do anything about it because this is my situation. When you look at great players, they are always fit, always sharp.
‘When you play 50 games a season, you can score more goals and get more assists, so it follows that you are more important to the team.’
Your not the only one who wishes you could stay fit Robin…trust me!
The second transfer rumour that caught my eye was the news that Arsenal were believed to have made a late bid for Everton’s Louis Saha during the January transfer window. The player himself was supposed to have turned the move down and decided to stay at Goodison Park.
If this was true i am gutted we didn’t pull it off. Saha would have been a great signing for Arsenal. He’s french and is injury prone. No im joking, he is experienced, has pace, is big and strong, good finisher, eligible for the champions league, has premier league experience and let’s be honest the french thing would help too.
Snapping him up could have made us champions i think. But the reason i think this story is made up is the reason they say the deal fell through was Saha declined the move. I doubt that would be the case. Sorry Everton fans but would Saha at 29 years of age really turn down one last chance at the big time?
He would have jumped at the chance to play for Arsenal in the champions league. He may have turned down the contract we offered him though. With his age and injury record Arsene may have tried his luck with some sort of short term pay-as-you-play type deal. In which case i wouldn’t blame Saha for turning down. I think he’s proven in the first half of the season he is worth a decent contract.
But anyway, RVP is still with us and on the treatment table and Saha is banging in the goals for Everton. Massive week for the Arsenal. Porto match preveiw coming soon.
