Arsene Wenger reveals he REJECTED Robin van Persie's plea to rejoin Arsenal from Man Utd

Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger revealed that Robin van Persie contacted him to try and arrange a return to Arsenal in 2015, but Wenger decided to turn the Dutchman down. Van Persie had sparked fury among the Gunners fans by joining rivals Manchester United in order to lay his hands on the Premier League and European titles. 

Robin van Persie's career at Old Trafford was going great under Sir Alex Ferguson but following the arrival of Louis van Gaal as the new Man United boss, the Dutch striker fell down the pecking order and was sold to Fenerbache. However, it is reported that the Turkish club may not have been Robin van Persie's preferred destination with the player desiring to return to Arsenal.

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Speaking about Robin van Persie's attempt to rejoin Arsenal, Wenger in his new autobiography, 'Arsene Wenger: My Life in Red and White', revealed: "In 2012, he announced his intention not to extend his contract. All the big clubs were courting him. I sold him to Manchester United. The supporters were angry with me for this but we could not match the offer. I managed to negotiate his departure for £24 million, which was a huge amount at the time for a player with a year left on his contract. I had only the interest of the club in mind" 

Arsene also spoke about Alex Ferguson as the transfer to United came off a surprise, he said, "My relationship with Alex Ferguson and Manchester United had improved by then, but every transfer is a polite game of poker where you attempt to give not anything away. Robin van Persie had a fantastic first six months at Old Trafford: he put the team on track for the Premiership title and made it even more difficult for us".

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Arsene Wenger revealed that he decided to not take Robin van Persie back as the player was beyond his prime and Arsenal were investing in the future, he said: "He called me because he wanted to come back, but it was impossible: he was at the end of his career and we were investing in young players."

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Arsenal's documentary in works - Wenger set to narrate the story 

A 90-minute documentary about Arsenal's invincible season is in the works. The documentary will be narrated by Le Professeur himself and will boast unseen archive and showcase original and intimate filming with Wenger, who has remained an enigmatic figure all these years at Arsenal. 

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Image credits: Robin Van Persie Twitter