It’s just the story that will not die. We thought we could be in for a summer free of this sort of nonsense, after all, for the first time in living memory Barcelona had shut the hell up.  Then van Persie issued his statement and the world went mental.  So, as of today, what exactly do we know?  What is fact and what is fiction and what is speculation?

Fact:

• Robin van Persie has said he will not sign a new deal with Arsenal.
• Arsenal want him to re-sign and wish to keep him for the final year of his contract.
• Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus have submitted bids for the player.
• Arsenal have rejected all bids for van Persie
• Van Persie will not be travelling to Asia with the rest of the team on the pre-season tour.

Fiction:

• While there has been much speculation there have been no out and out lies regarding this story, at least not that I’ve come across.

Speculation:

• Van Persie will not leave for another English team.  His father made this statement but van Persie himself has neither confirmed nor denied it.
• Arsenal believe they can get him to re-sign with the club although no sources have confirmed this.
• Van Persie is refusing to go on tour in order to force a transfer.

The entire thing is a mess and it is mostly all Robin’s fault.  He didn’t have to open his mouth, he could have done this quietly but he wanted to play his hand in a way that would leave Arsenal with little choice.  His position at Arsenal is now beyond untenable.  It is a transfer being played out in the press that didn’t have to be and Arsenal are left trying to find an option that suits them more than it suits their rivals.

This needs to be rectified sooner rather than later. While the signing of both Podolski and Giroud early on means that we are not in the same sort of perilous situation that we found ourselves in last summer, the longer this drags on the worse it is for our chances of bringing in any reinforcements if that’s what’s needed.

I’ve seen many criticise the board, demanding to know why van Persie was allowed to get to the last year of his contract but people need to remember that only 12 months ago van Persie had been unable to complete a full season.  Recently when Diaby was handed a new deal people screamed that the club were mental for handing a perma-croc a new deal so can you blame Arsenal for waiting to see if van Persie would ever be able to get the fitness level and consistency required to reach the heights that Arsene has always believed he was capable of?  He finally managed to do that, and instead of standing by the club that has stood by him when others would have sold him, Robin wants out.  Robin wants trophies but doesn’t seem to see the role his own injuries played in trophies not arriving at Arsenal.

I’ve said it before but it’s worth mentioning again, I thought Robin was different, was better than this, but as he’s all smiles and giggles during pre-season training, the Arsenal fans he claims to love are left to deal with constant speculation regarding their star player once again and the club he wishes to see do well and has supported since he was a kid are being battered from all sides.

I’m sick of summer sagas but I understand Arsenal’s need to try and do what is right for the club. Not what is right for van Persie or Man City or Man United. For Arsenal.