Moving from Arsenal to Juventus Would Be a Bad Idea for Robin Van Persie

Robin van Persie should not move to Serie A Champions Juventus. He would be moving to a league with a style not best suited to his strengths.

The Turin giants appear to be the front-runners for Van Persie's signature should he opt to leave Arsenal. Reports in today's Daily Mail suggest that Juventus are even preparing to dispatch former star player, the great Pavel Nedved, to Holland's Euro 2012 camp to meet with the Arsenal striker.

According to the report, Juve are prepared to offer £25 million and pay van Persie £180,000 per week. That's great business for Arsenal, but not for Van Persie.

Moving to the Old Lady would a be a strange decision for the Dutch ace. Although they recently captured the Serie A crown, it was Juve's first league championship in nine years. 

They are hardly a team that has established a consistent run of recent success. That means that Antonio Conte's veteran squad cannot be considered strong favourites to win the league again this season. They are also unlikely to be amongst the favourites for the UEFA Champions League.

Add in the ongoing match-fixing scandal currently dominating the headlines in Italian football and the timing of a move to Juventus only seems more bizarre. Aside from these concerns, there is the issue of how well Van Persie would adapt to the style of play in Serie A.

It is traditionally a more deliberate mode of play, with a strong emphasis on defensive structures and slow build-up play. That certainly won't suit Van Persie.

A sluggish pace does not bring the best out of the Dutchman. He has encountered this problem several times with the national team.

Although he plays as a lone striker for both club and country, there are subtle but key differences. Arsenal play at a higher tempo, in keeping with nature of the EPL.

The Gunners get the ball into Van Persie quickly and play closer to him, particularly those players in supporting roles. Juve often adopt a more methodical, probing approach.

Van Persie would be risking the fine development he has made in recent seasons if he moved to Juventus. However, recent comments from his father, reported by Espn.co.uk, seemed to eliminate other prime options such as Manchester City and Barcelona.

If he moves to Italy, van Persie may quickly come to regret turning his back on an Arsenal team designed to suit his best attributes. He could join the likes of Aleksandr Hleb, Emmanuel Adebayor and Mathieu Flamini, who have floundered since leaving the Gunners.