Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Spending More Won't Keep Robin Van Persie at Emirates

In the wake of Robin van Persie declaring he won't re-sign with Arsenal, former Gunner Sol Campbell is urging the club to keep on pushing for the 28-year-old superstar.

Campbell recently told the Daily Mirror:

"

From the outside, it looks as though he wants to go to a club who will start the season expecting to win things, not just to be in contention with a lot of ifs, buts, maybes and strings attached. Maybe he could still sign a new contract if Arsenal rustle up £100 million from somewhere and make a serious statement by signing three world-class players.

"

Unfortunately for Arsenal, this is just wishful thinking. Campbell—a former teammate of Van Persie's—is holding out hope that Van Persie will remain at Emirates, but the reality is that the Dutchman's patience has run out.

Arsenal finished third in the Premier League last season, behind Manchester City and Manchester United. That certainly must have something to do with van Persie's stance. 

But van Persie is primarily looking down the line and, for what it's worth, he doesn't believe the Gunners have a legitimate shot of contending for the title next season.

Will he change his mind if Arsenal lands a big star? 

I'm not so sure.

The reality is, Arsene Wenger has already gone out and gotten Germany's Lukas Podolski and Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud. He's actually been adding some nice talent to the roster. But, despite Wenger showing that he wants to field a contending club next season, van Persie isn't sticking around to see what else Wenger is going to do.

That marks a philosophical difference, as van Persie has noted, and adding more high-priced players won't necessarily bridge that gap.

Not that Wenger will go that route, anyway. The manager has been adamant that he won't overspend and compromise his philosophy, preferring instead to develop talent over the years. Whether that strategy works or not can be debated, but it's pretty clear Wenger isn't going to stray from his stance, even if it means losing van Persie.

Even if Arsenal all of a sudden spends big on a star, van Persie already has it in the back of his mind that Wenger prefers to keep the spending low. The fact of the matter is, he doesn't agree with Wenger's general philosophy, and he likely won't anytime soon.