Is it time for Robin van Persie to leave Arsenal?

"No" - you would say if you are an Arsenal fan!

RVP has been with Arsenal for almost 8 years now! He joined the team when Arsenal were in the best form of their lives. He has seen the best and possibly the worst of Arsenal in his tenure. The striker has seen his colleagues like Fabregas and Nasri leave the team for "better opportunities". He now has a team to lead and is yet to extend his contract with Arsenal. From RVP's perspective, he's hit the nail on the head!

No one will deny that RVP is in the best form of his life. He's already 29 and age is already catching up on him. The decision to switch will surely be one of the biggest decision he has made in his career. But will he switch?

Current state of Arsenal: Arsenal is going through a flip-flop season. They were in the dumps at the start of the season, then the sudden revival and now on its way to the dumps again at the beginning of this year. The promise, the effort is there to be seen on the ground, but not the results. The biggest challenge for Arsene Wenger's boys would be regaining the top 4 spot in the premier league and hope for a better performance next season. Arsenal is still in the FA cup and the Champions League - but the going will be tough from now on. The injury list is as big as a team itself! Arsene Wenger is still not keen to enter the transfer market and look for alternatives. Among the fit players, Gervinho hasn't set the ground on fire, Chamakh and Arshavin aren't even threatening. Midfield is still a crisis despite Arteta. And by now, the world knows about Arsenal's defence. February may see the resurgence of the Arsenal team - that's the hope the ever-faithful Arsenal fans still have.

Options in front of RVP: RVP has 2 options now - Extend the contract (with a better pay package, of course) and stay with Arsenal, become a legend just like Thierry Henry. The challenges here are huge - for one, he will have to lead his team, win trophies and end the drought period for Arsenal. Given the current form, Arsenal might just miss the cut for Champions League next season. That's another sacrifice RVP will have to make. The other option is the easy way out - switch to be with a better performing team at the moment with a much better package. So, finance won't be an issue and he will have a team who's more capable (considering present form) to win a silverware! Exactly like Samir Nasri.

Arsene Wenger should definitely consider buying a striker as good as RVP so that he can rotate them in matches and if needed, use them together to form a potent attack.

This season, in more ways than one, will be a make or break season for Arsenal and RVP.