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I think once he made that statement though...made his position very difficult. And I think he's intelligent enough, and well advised enough, to know that the statement would rather force our hand. I think he'd have done a job for us, I don't think he'd have sulked the place up, but the effect on the rest of the squad...I dunno. I'd rather have players around who want to play for us.
I agree with what you are saying here, and had VP kept quiet and kept things between him and the club private then maybe things would be different.
But the shit hit the fan when he released that statement.
It doesn't matter what side of the fence you sit on or whether you blame the board, manager, rvp or the club tea lady, the fact is that his statement did all the damage.
I should imagine it left the club and wenger a bit red faced and probably more so wenger.
Yes. Then we really didn't have a choice. But as always it was about money first. People are on here cheering about how Rvp has been told to fuck off despite wanting to change his mind based on the signings made. Yet in the same breath claim that he was greedy. The only greedy party here is the club. Hostory confirms it is money first with us. Yet we are happy to slag players off if they do the same.
IMO what people are missing in defending RVP is that few people are disputing his right to work where he wants to. They are angry because he has proved himself two-faced; mercenary and needlessly heedless of the club that he is captain to further his own position.
Two-faced because only last year he stated that it was not about the money and that he was committed to winning things with us - yet a year later when he has had his stand out season, he wants to win trophies somewhere else.
Mercenary because despite Arsenal investing properly in quality players in order to mount more of a challenge, he has gone to a rivel for more money.
A c*nt because he was prepared to destabilise the club in order to get his move.
I'll say again that I am quite surprised that people are defending him over the club that they support. RVP hasn't broken any laws, and he is no different to most other modern players, but he has turned his back on the club that stood by him, made his captain, and where he made his name - and its strange that despite this some supporters remain loyal.
Bigger picture as far as I am concerned, those criticising the club for letting him walk are really criticising one thing - the refusal of AFC to break the bank to keep him. Do people not realise that to try to go toe to toe with 2 clubs that are funded by oil billionaires, and another club that is arguably the most famous club on the planet - with sponsorship income to match, is folly. Surely there are enough examples of clubs over-reaching themselves to make people not wantour club to take a similar route. And trying to satisfy RVP's wage demands would not stop there - it would become a perennial problem with players wanting to be paid more and more.
My view - over optimistic as it may be, is that Wenger is taking the club in a different dirction now. As outstanding season was, RVP was part of a team that ultimately under-achieved between 2006 and now - as were all of the more illustrious players who have left. Yes, there were other players who have underperformed - unlike RVP when he has been fit - but they are on their way out too. Ultimately, in RVP we have got rid of a player who only managed one full season with us, is 29, and who lately has shown he is a trouble-maker. £20M + is damn good business, and although its Manure - if they wanted another top striker its not as though they wouldn't get one.
So for me- bring on the season. Lets watch players who want to be here, and lets consign RVP to the list of player who could have been legends for us but who shoed their true colours at the end. i for one won;t be welcoming him back to the Emirates.
So the fact we wanted money for letting our best player go rather than letting him go on a free makes the club greedy?
Id say that makes us sensible