Arsenal will be losing its captain again.
After losing Cesc Fàbregas last year to Barcelona, Robin Van Persie announced that he will not renew his contract with Arsenal. The Gunners released the statement Wednesday.
"We have to respect Robin's decision not to renew his contract. Robin has one year to run on his current contract and we are confident that he will fulfill his commitments to the club,” read the statement.
"We are planning with ambition and confidence for next season with Arsenal's best interests in mind."
Van Persie, 29, was the top scorer in the English Premier league, netting 30 goals in the league. Van Persie led the team as the captain and finished third in the season. However, Arsenal had been without trophy for years, and rumors speculated that Manchester City and Juventus were after him. Barcelona had been also involved in the transfer rumor.
His contract remains one year, and Arsenal has the option to transfer him now to get some money, or hold onto the captain for the remaining term and loose him free. Goals.com reported that the Gunners will see out the remaining year of Van Persie’s contract instead of moving on this summer.
The Dutch striker said the disagreement about the club’s future led to this decision. Van Persie said he met with the team’s leaderships about the club’s future strategy and policy but did not agree with each other.
“I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days," he said in an official statement.
"Out of my huge respect for Mr. Wenger, the players and the fans I don’t want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward,” he added.
The team will have new strikers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, but losing Van Persie will be a major blow to Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger, who wanted to keep him “at all costs”.
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