Arsenal's Fate Is Not Tied to the Future of Robin Van Persie

If Robin van Persie does decide to leave Arsenal, the club can still be competitive in next season's title race and the UEFA Champions League. There has been a lot of speculation today concerning the possible departure of the Gunners' free-scoring skipper.

The prevailing notion is that Arsenal simply cannot lose van Persie and their prospects for next season are entirely connected to retaining their talismanic striker. This is despite the fact that Arsenal managed to survive the loss of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the summer of 2011, and still finished one place higher than the previous season.

The same thing can happen if van Persie does opt for new pastures. If van Persie is lured away from North London, Arsenal won't crumble, they will just be forced into prompt regeneration.

Yet just how would things look without van Persie in the fold? The most alarming implication of his exit might be the potential domino effect it could start, relating to the futures of Theo Walcott and Alex Song.

The loss of van Persie might well induce Song and Walcott to make alternative plans for their own respective futures. However, given how wildly inconsistent both players are, cashing in may not be Arsenal's worst move.

The obvious consequence of this scenario is that it would prompt the kind of large-scale rebuilding effort that naturally implies yet more transitions next term. One alternative for Arsenal in the event of van Persie forcing a move elsewhere, would be to assemble a different kind of forward line.

Wenger himself has spoken of Arsenal's over-reliance on van Persie. Replacing a 37 goal, world-class forward would take the combined efforts of multiple players.

Arsenal have been linked with a number of strikers, even though they have already added Lukas Podolski. Names like Demba Ba and Robert Lewandowski have been put forward as potential targets for Arsene Wenger. 

Operating with more than one natural striker up front would encourage a more mobile and fluid front three. In the long run, this type of tactical design may be more successful than the rather rigid hybrid 4-5-1 utilised during this campaign.

There is no doubt that van Persie is a top quality player, and his loss would certainly represent a blow. Yet his departure would not serve to doom Arsenal's prospects for the 2012/13 season.