The real reason Arsenal are being linked with Van Persie return

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Arsenal have never successfully replaced the Dutchman.

Fenerbahce’s Robin Van Persie

At the weekend, The Sun reported that Robin van Persie could return to London in a shock move to either West Ham or Crystal Palace.

By Monday, fans on Twitter had begun falsely tipping the Dutchman for a move back to former club Arsenal, as he seeks a return from Fenerbahce.

The Independent then ran a story linking Van Persie with a ‘sensational return’ to Arsenal, although the article itself contained no real information to back up it’s headline, other than the fact he would be keen to leave Fenerbahce to play in the Premier League again.

Robin van Persie – Arsenal

Van Persie left Arsenal under a cloud, walking out on them while Player of the Year and the Golden Boot winner, to sign with Manchester United, after growing impatient with their failure to win a title.

He did exactly that at Manchester United in his first season, and Arsenal humiliatingly had to give him a Guard of Honour late in the campaign at the Emirates, due to the way the fixtures fell after he clinched the title.

So for this reason, a return to Arsenal makes little sense, and from a sporting one, he is not the player he was when he left.

Even at 32, he was turfed out by Manchester United last summer, perhaps too soon, and has never really looked happy in Turkey, scoring 14 goals in 29 games.

The real determining factor in Van Persie being linked to Arsenal, is because the Gunners have never really replaced him, nor have they come close.

Van Persie scored 30 Premier League goals in his final season at Arsenal, and since then no Gunners player has even broken 20.

Olivier Giroud may be a consistent 14-16 goals a season man, but it really makes you wonder what Arsenal could have achieved this past season with a 30 goal striker instead.

The memory of Van Persie’s goalscoring feats loom large over the Emirates, which is why it is constant frustration among Arsenal fans that manager Arsene Wenger so stubbornly refuses to address it.

Former Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie