Arsenal's shareholder blames Arsenal board for Van Persie exit

The splits at the top of Arsenal deepened after Alisher Usmanov, the second largest shareholder, joined captain Robin van Persie in launching a public attack on the club’s strategy.


In a wide-ranging and scathing five-page letter, Usmanov accused Arsenal's board, which is led by majority shareholder Stan Kroenke, of selling the club’s best players and replacing them with cheaper alternatives. He also expressed his “deep reservations” about their policies, which he claimed were causing players to question their futures and the club’s ambitions.

The timing of the letter, less than 24 hours after Van Persie’s announcement that he would not sign a new contract, could hardly have been worse for Arsenal. The club, however, maintain that they are fully committed to a self-funding approach which, they argue, will secure both their long-term future and ultimately also offer the best chance of success.

This view is evidently not shared by Usmanov or Van Persie, who admitted publicly on Wednesday that he disagreed with Arsène Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis “on many aspects” of how the club should move forward.

Wenger will now seek urgent talks with Van Persie to determine whether the situation is retrievable. Arsenal’s official stance is that they are “confident” Van Persie will see out a contract which does not expire until next year but his release of such a provocative statement, without warning, clearly makes this very difficult.

Although no club can match Manchester City’s financial firepower, it is understood that Van Persie is also attracted by interest from both Juventus and Manchester United. There is pressure to resolve the situation quickly, with Van Persie scheduled to lead Arsenal on their pre-season tour of Asia, beginning on July 21.  (telegraph.co.uk)