Arsenal Transfer News: Robin Van Persie Booed On Return

Arsenal captain Robin van Persie was booed by disgruntled Gunners fans last night, with his well documented and long winded transfer plight still no closer to a resolution. The Dutchman has made it clear he is uninterested in extending his contract at the Emirates, whilst Arsenal have so far rejected all offers for last season's PFA Player of the Year and Golden Boot Winner. Van Persie made a cameo appearance in Arsenal's 4-0 thrashing of Cologne last night, coming on as a substitute for the last 20 minutes. New signing Lucas Podolski made an impressive impact, grabbing two of Arsenal's goals. And in a blatant snub of van Persie, Gunners fans then started chanting "Lucas Podolski, he scores when he wants", a chant reserved for the Dutchman last season. When van Persie eventually replaced Podolski as a substitute, he was greeted with cheers from a small section of the Arsenal contingent, but their frustration at their hero's unwillingness to remain with the club could not be disguised moments from the end of the game. Whilst chasing a ball close to the Arsenal support, he was hit by a deafening cauldron of boos. In spite of Lucas Podolski's impressive display last night, Arsene Wenger was keen to stress that he and fellow new signings Oliver Giroud and Santi Cazorla haven't been brought in as direct replacements for the goal machine. Speaking to The Sun, the Frenchman stated:

€œWe have not bought the players to replace Van Persie, but to strengthen our squad with the thinking Van Persie will stay. That€™s still my mind at the moment.€

Whether or not he will stay though is an entirely different matter. With the Arsenal support finally showing their anger and frustration at the situation, and the player still unwilling to enter talks about a new deal, it may only be a matter of time before Wenger is forced to cut his losses.