Thierry Henry shows Robin van Persie the way to leave Arsenal

Amid all the nostalgia and romance of Thierry Henry's return to Arsenal last month, one point seems have flown under the radar.

The fact that instead of seeing out his last contract, he elected not to, and departed to join Barcelona.

Henry left Arsenal because he felt they could no longer match his ambitions.

He was right to, because of that decision he now has a 2009 Champions League winners medal.

Does anybody else think that the adulation Henry received on his return last month is only going to make Robin van Persie's decision to stay or not, easier?

The Dutchman has been carrying Arsenal all season, to the point like in Henry's final seasons, his teammates are now looking to him expecting inspiration and adding very little themselves.

Now sitting in seventh, it is clear van Persie cannot do it on his own, and he showed his frustration against Manchester United with his exclamation as Oxlade-Chamberlain was substituted.

Van Persie has clearly been wrestling with his conscience whether to stay or go in the summer all season long.

On one side he could choose to move on and join a top European side, likely Real Madrid or Barcelona, but on the other side he feels he would be letting down all of Arsenal's fans.

He clearly feels indebted to Arsenal, Wenger made him the player he is, and he has stayed loyal while teammates like Fabregas, Nasri and even Henry have departed over the years.

Surely teaming up again with Fabregas has to be tempting?

If he was worried that leaving will upset the fans, well yes of course it would.

But most reasonable fans will not blame him if he leaves for Barcelona; join Manchester City and it would be a different story.

Most Arsenal fans would accept that presently the squad are not in a position to challenge for the league, and at 28, van Persie's time is running out.

If he leaves to go to Spain, he will be remembered as an Arsenal legend who gave his all for the club during his time there.

Even if there is an initial backlash, if van Persie leaves this summer and chooses to come back aged 34, like Thierry Henry, he also will be cheered and revered as a modern day superstar.

image: © Ronnie Macdonald

Dan Coombs

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Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.

As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.

He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.