Arsenal Fans - Don't Be Fooled By All This Van Persie Talk

So, Arsenal's Robin Van Persie is having a rethink. When you cut him open, he bleeds Arsenal after all. He made the wrong assessment about the club's future trophy prospects, and he's now looking to stay.

Poppycock. The only reason that Van Persie is currently at Arsenal is that Manchester City still need to get rid of some deadwood before they can put in a serious offer for him, and Manchester United won't know how much they have to spend until their U.S IPO price has been struck.

Yet some Arsenal fans still clutch at straws. He hasn't gone yet (but there's still 3 weeks of the transfer window open). He's going to play in the pre-season match against Cologne and isn't going on strike (who do you think he is - Luka Modric!). He's had a change of heart (the guy's an intelligent man, not Wayne Rooney).

Look, Arsene Wenger is already preparing for life without Van Persie - the signings of Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, and the hunt for Santi Cazorla and Nuri Sahin are not attempts to convince Van Persie to stay ('See, Van, don't go - we DO have a chance to win something now after all'), but rather confirmation that no one player is bigger than the club - and life goes on.

Van Persie is no idiot. He would have thought very carefully before he came out and confirmed that he would not be extending his Arsenal contract. His is his own person, and his decision won't have been made at the prompting of his agent, but rather by a strong desire within to be in contention for major trophies while he still has the chance. He also knew that by coming out as he did, he would burn his Arsenal bridges, and that there would be no way back. And there isn't.

In the final analysis, however, Van Persie's stance may well be the very thing that brings Arsenal out of its trophy malaise. Wenger was clearly shocked that Van Persie no longer believed in his ability to turn Arsenal into winners once more, and the manager has responded with a couple of excellent signings. And with Carorla and Sahin surely on the way in too, all of a sudden thing do look on the up over at the Emirates - even though Van Persie, last season's talisman, is most certainly on his way out.

And wouldn't it be so ironic if Van Persie signs up at City or United and wins nothing next season, while Arsenal go on to end their silverware drought. Don't bet against it.