Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Limited Options Should Entice Robin Van Persie to Stay

Perhaps Robin van Persie will remain with Arsenal after all. Go ahead, Gunners fans, breathe a sigh of relief. The return of your star striker is looking more likely as this ordeal carries on.

While it seemed that the Dutchman would be able to turn interest from Juventus, Manchester City and Manchester United into a bidding war that would force Arsenal to sell, it now appears that his options are dwindling.

From the Mirror:

"

It's all over! Roberto Mancini has waved the white flag in the long-running battle to sign Arsenal's unhappy Dutchman Robin van Persie.

And with Juventus seemingly wobbling in their pursuit of the Gunnners' hitman—with a ban cloud hanging over their coach Antonio Conte—it looks like the Dutchman will have to choose between Manchester United, or staying put with the Gunners.

"

Mancini's exact quote (from that same Mirror article) regarding van Persie was fairly clear, as the coach simply said "Van Persie? No, I don't think he will come here."

So there you have it.

Obviously, the Red Devils will still be an enticing option, as the thought of pairing van Persie and Wayne Rooney surely intrigues the striker and just as surely sends shivers down the spine of every other club in the Premier League.

But Arsenal haven't been stagnant this summer either, and have added some nice, complementary pieces that could push them to championship contention should van Persie stick around. 

Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud will certainly strengthen the team's attack, and Santi Cazorla—once his signing becomes official, that is—will bring creativity and crisp passing to the midfield, especially as Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky recover from injuries early in the 2012-13 campaign. If Nuri Sahin comes over from Real Madrid on loan, that only sweetens the pot for van Persie.

Plus, the more his options dwindle, the more likely that van Persie will be best suited from a financial perspective remaining with the team. 

He's 29. He's been injury prone in the past. Most teams won't break the bank after this summer to sign a player of his age, and Arsenal are likely to give him a contract extension that most teams won't match. 

He's comfortable in Arsene Wenger's system and has obviously flourished in his role for the Gunners. With a slew of solid signings, another year for players like Gervinho to adjust to the system and the fact that the team managed to finish third in the EPL despite suffering a ton of injuries early in the season, a return to Arsenal makes sense on the pitch as well.

Perhaps I'm just trying to talk myself into believing that van Persie will stay. Maybe I'm just hoping he'll see the same reasons to continue playing at the Emirates that I'm seeing. Obviously, I really, really don't want to see him end up at Old Trafford.

But as his options dwindle, a return to Arsenal surely must look better. The money will be right, the team has added pieces to be championship contenders and he's already had success with the squad.

What's not to like about that situation?

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