Van Persie claims Arsenal chief showed him finances explicitly to stop Man United move

Dutch legend Robin van Persie has spoken about his final few days at Arsenal before making the switch to Man United in the summer of 2012. The 37-year-old claimed that he was infuriated with the Gunners' board, who explicitly showed him the club's healthy balance sheet in an attempt to persuade Van Persie to stay put at the Emirates. Van Persie turned into a global superstar during his time with the North London club but admitted that he grew increasingly frustrated of the club being unable to compete at the highest level, which is what forced a move to Man United. 

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Robin van Persie reveals brutally honest reason for leaving Arsenal 

Earlier this week, Robin van Persie spoke to Dutch presenter Kaj Gorgels on his official YouTube channel and spilt the beans over why he left Arsenal and his final few days at the North London club. The former Arsenal striker recalled the time the chairman at the Emirates explicitly showed Van Persie the club's finances and off-field progress. 

He said, "At Arsenal, I didn’t feel like we were on the level to compete. One day, the chairman of Arsenal showed me how healthy the club was by showing me their positive numbers on the balance sheet. I told him 'I don't give a s*** about the finances. I want to win the Premier League trophy". 

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The late Peter Hill-Wood was the chairman of Arsenal during Van Persie's spell with the club before he stepped down and was replaced by Sir Chips Keswick in 2013. Van Persie, who won a solitary FA Cup in eight years with Arsenal, then explained that he also had the option to move to Juventus before eventually deciding to sign for Man United. 

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"I felt it was best to leave England and Juventus was also an option but the Arsenal chairman blocked the move to Italy. Then I told him that the other options were Man United or Man City, so it was his own risk.", said RVP. Van Persie then explained that he still had the desire to win the Premier League and he did so in his first season at Old Trafford. He went on to spend three years at Man United before leaving for Fenerbache in 2015. Van Persie eventually hung up his boots in 2019 after a season with Feyenoord.

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Image Credits - AP