Robin Van Persie: Why Leaving Arsenal Will Hurt Dutchman's Career

Arsenal's Robin van Persie has been their top scorer for a few years now. He is ranked eighth in Arsenal goal-scoring history with 132 goals.

On July 4, according to his website, van Persie declared that he would not be signing another contract with Arsenal.

It's obvious he wants to play for a team that is winning trophies and leaving Arsenal would give him a chance to do that. Arsenal has not won won a trophy since beating Manchester United in the FA Finals in 2005.

This departure from Arsenal could be the wrong move for the Dutchman's career.

Adjustment to Another Team

While van Persie was the top goal-scorer for Arsenal and their top threat, if he goes to a trophy-contending team, he will have to adjust to being the second-best.

Chances are, if he goes to a top team, they will already have their own top scorer and No. 1 scoring threat. Robin van Persie will have to adjust to not being the best on the field.

For any star, this is a huge adjustment to make and it can sometimes lead to a downfall in that player's career. If van Persie wants success on a top team, he needs to be able to work together with the captain of that team and make sure he knows his role.

He Had a Home Playing for Arsenal

The 28-year-old striker from the Netherlands has built a relationship with this Arsenal squad and the fans since joining the team in 2004.

Building a relationship and trust with a team takes time and that is exactly what van Persie did with Arsenal. The fans loved him, his players loved him and he had a home with this squad.

For him to leave a team that he has spent eight years with will almost give him the treatment that LeBron James received when he left a team he had been with for seven years for a better team.

Robin van Persie could find himself being the villain in this situation and losing many soccer fans around the world.

Possibility of Not Winning a Trophy

There is always the possibility of van Persie leaving to join a better team, yet not winning a trophy.

He will have to deal with the thought of leaving a team that he has spent most of his career with to join a team that still didn't get him the title he wanted.

This doesn't seem to be about money in any way, but the joy of winning seems to be on van Persie's mind. If he leaves for a better team and doesn't win, he will forever live with the regret of leaving the family that he built with Arsenal.

There is no turning around for van Persie, so he better hope that this is the right choice. If not, this move could be detrimental to his career.