Robin van Persie admits he didn't feel Arsenal were on a level to compete during his time at the club.
The 37-year-old, who joined the club in 2004 from Feyenoord for just £2.75 million, scored 132 goals in all competitions during an eight year spell in North London, becoming the eighth top goalscorer in Arsenal's history.
Then in a controversial move, Van Persie decided to join long-time rivals Manchester United in 2012; a move that led him to lifting the Premier League trophy for the very first time.
And this iconic guard of honour at The Emirates.
Eight years after joining United, the former striker has now opened up about his career in a recent interview with Kaj Gorgels, where he spoke about "the sensitive topic" of leaving Arsenal to join Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, amongs other things.
"At Arsenal, I didn't feel like we were on the level to compete." he said.
"One day, The chairman of Arsenal showed me how healthy the club was by showing me their positive numbers. I told him: 'I don't give a sh*t about these numbers, I want to lift the Premier League trophy."
In addition to more topics translated by Twitter user @TheEuropeanLad, Van Persie spoke about a potential transfer to Juventus, the press in England and more.
Van Persie: “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. I told him: ‘I don’t give a sh*t about these numbers, I want to lift the Premier League trophy.” pic.twitter.com/cY1OP2r5Yw
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) December 10, 2020
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Van Persie: “We felt it would be best to leave for a club outside of England, the deal with Juventus was closed. But the chairman of Arsenal was stubborn towards Juventus. I told him that my other two other options were Manchester United or Manchester City, so it’s his own risk." pic.twitter.com/PeC3j0G0F3
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) December 10, 2020
Van Persie: “I never had trouble with the press in England. In England they don’t look for foreign players, they like to target players from their own country. Those are the ones who are getting scr*wed, not us.” pic.twitter.com/NpnxrDGtAp
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) December 10, 2020
Van Persie: “My departure from Arsenal to Manchester United is still a sensitive topic in England. But I wanted to win, I just wanted to win. And I had to take a risk for that.” pic.twitter.com/1LL7q6ihpO
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) December 10, 2020
Van Persie also opened up about the area of Arsene Wenger's side that let the team down and how he really wanted the club to bring in Italian centre-back Giorgio Chiellini.
"I played against him (Chiellini) a few times and he is really a winner. You saw that a few weeks ago against the Dutch national team," Van Persie said.
"He's 36, but gives 9 elbows smiling. He keeps on smiling and doesn't even get a yellow card. You need those kind of winners, killers, you need them.
"My own experiences...we were very good at the front and scored a lot, but your keeper and your last line are the foundation of your team."
source https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-reactions-take-a-bow-robin-van-persie-gives-brutally-honest-interview-about-time-at-arsenal-20201210
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