Robin Van Persie to Arsenal: Thanks for the Memories

There is a solid possibility that the next nine months will see Arsenal, and its fans, come to grips with something that they have not seen since before May of 2004: A squad without Robin van Persie. 

The prospect is unnerving, arguably as unnerving as the 2007 departure of club legend Thierry Henry. At that time, the club saw an improving Emmanuel Adebayor on the brink of a breakout season. It featured a Cesc Fabregas-run midfield that promised huge potential and portended future bounty in the form of glittering trophies. Kolo Toure, Bacary Sagna and a then-defensively-competent Gael Clichy ensured that Manuel Almunia would not be overburdened in net. 

If we dare, let’s entertain a future without current club captain and world-class footballer Robin van Persie. Firstly, is there a like-for-like replacement?

…nope. Marouane Chamakh, the Morrocan-born, Bordeaux-cultured hitman who possesses the technical ability of a midfielder, and the finishing prowess of a post-Liverpool Emile Heskey, neither fits, nor promises to fit the bill. So, too, with towering Dane Nicklas Bendtner, who will undoubtedly return from loan at Sunderland 10 months pregnant with confidence, and only a handful of goals to his name.

Park Chu-Young? I’ll let you know once he makes an appearance outside of the League Cup competition. 

As for Theo Walcott, who has been angling for a central starting berth for the past year, he possesses neither the technical ability nor the tactical mind necessary to occupy a van Persie-like role. His only strength is his speed, and that cannot offset a hit-or-miss finishing record. 

So, then, no glittering prospects for the center-forward position. 

What about midfield, a perpetual hallmark of Wenger-era squads since 2005? Whose technical abilities and vision can overshadow other glaring shortcomings in the squad? Here is one of two pillars of strength that Arsenal can partially rely on for the next few years. 

Alex Song has the ability to become one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. A bold statement, to be sure, for like so many other Gunners, he has hinted at greatness without ever sustaining it. Song has the prerequisite tackling discipline, positional sense and threshold touch to make him a midfield rock on which to rebuild Arsenal’s core. 

So, too, with Jack Wilshere, England’s midfield heir to Frank Lampard. The stocky, albeit diminutive, Stevenage native has the makings of a Xavi/Scholes hybrid; a quintessentially bullish English midfielder laden with the vision and passing acumen of a La Masia graduate. 

The lingering question is who to partner with Song and Wilshere in midfield? The short-term answer is surely Mikel Arteta, the unfortunate inheritor of Fabregas’ creative mantle. Ostensibly a like-for-like replacement for Cesc—hell, they even look similar—the Spaniard is a stopgap solution and nothing more.

Aaron Ramsey may hold promise for the future, but he has yet to demonstrate he is worthy of a starting spot on a weekly basis. 

Fingers crossed, a healthy Jack Wilshere-inspired Gunners midfield will propel them back up the table into qualification for Europe’s elite club competitions. Well, one of them at least. 

Finally, the defense—nothing more needs to be said. This horse has been beaten absolutely senseless by pundits, critics and fans ever since the departure of Kolo Toure to Manchester City a few years ago. With injuries to Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna, the only two consistently competent defenders in the entire squad, there can be only one other individual worthy of mention: Wojciech Szczesny. 

The Pole has been in outstanding form practically from day one. Glaring error in the League Cup Final against Birmingham notwithstanding, he possesses phenomenal athleticism and maturity beyond his tender 21 years. The second pillar on which Arsenal may rely going forward, I would expect him to grow, in tandem with fellow youngsters David de Gea and Joe Hart, into one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. 

For those keeping score, here is the sobering conclusion: Arsenal have no direct replacement for Robin van Persie, who without debate is the only world-class player in the squad at the moment. 

There are two midfielders, in Song and Wilshere, with the potential to join the best in the world in their respective positions, but who need to maintain their health and form in order to do so. Sagna is a stalwart, along with Vermaelen, health permitting, but it is Szczesny who possesses the highest upside. 

With a team already in disarray, the departure of Robin van Persie will leave Arsenal bereft of true class, when healthy dollops of this quality are already required in every area of the squad. As a staunch fan, I have resigned myself to losing the Dutchman, as I did with Fabregas and Samir Nasri this past summer, holding each of them in the highest regard for doing so. Not even the most diehard Arsenal fan can argue that each of these talents has a greater likelihood of winning silverware outside of an Arsenal jersey than in one. 

Arsenal’s sad state of affairs continues, and Robin van Persie’s departure at the end of this season will further punctuate this reality, opening the eyes of even the most obstinate of Arsenal fans.