Since 2005, Arsenal have lost four captains. To lose one leader is unfortunate, to lose four seems like carelessness and perhaps it’s no coincidence that in those seven years the Gunners have remained trophyless.
Clubs are weakened by departures all the time but to sell on your skipper is to lose your very direction and worse yet from Patrick Vieira to Thierry Henry to Cesc Fabregas all that have donned the armband at the Emirates have gone on to win trophies elsewhere.
This perhaps proves they were correct to leave Arsenal and bodes well for their latest ship-jumper Van Persie.
When Vieira left the Gunners for Juventus in 2005, he won the Scudetto with the old lady at the first time of asking before he was given to Inter where he won another 4 titles with them. Their next captain, Thierry Henry, was sold to Barcelona in 2007 where he won two La Liga titles in a row. Later when young captain Cesc Fabregas was also sold for Barcelona, he won the Copa Del Rey in the same season. And now, Arsenal have reluctantly sold their top scorer, best player and captain Robin Van Persie to rivals Manchester United. Perhaps Van Persie sought encouragement from this because there is certainly a pattern emerging where departing captains always seem to have the last laugh.
Thieves