Mercifully, the saga ends

Robin van Persie is to sign for Manchester United, it's been confirmed by both clubs. According to arsenal.com and manutd.com tonight, only personal terms and a medical remain. Even with the Dutchman's notorious injury record, he's expected to be passed fit. As for his personal contract, it's highly unlikely that his representatives haven't sorted that out quite some time ago.

Most Gooners will lament - and rival fans will cherish - another Silly Season where Arsenal's major star ends up leaving the club. This summer, however, the deal has been concluded mercifully early, even before the start of the season. The replacements have already arrived. Lukas Podolski has been expecting to inherit the number 10 shirt since arriving in late April. Olivier Giroud is set to establish himself as first choice central striker, impressing in the last pre-season game in Germany.

Any of you can make an analysis of Robin van Persie's choice to leave is as good as mine. My opinion is still that a combination of wage demands and the need for a fresh challenge will have persuaded him to leave. He alone will know what caused his change of heart after years of speaking out as one of Arsenal's most loyal players.

But I expect that his agent(s) would have seen this as a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity for arguably the third best player in the world and themselves. The last major deal at an almost pensionable (in this business) 29 years old, to be signed at the very height of his career.

Now that would have been possible to understand, even for some Gooners. But the mistake van Persie will have to live with is the disrespectful statement on his personal website. There was no way back by then, even if I don't believe Manchester United was his preferred destination at the time.

Frankly, my guess was that he would indeed end up at Manchester City sometime close to deadline day. What with wages being his primary concern and Arsenal being notoriously stubborn in dealing with rival clubs. Then again, being proven wrong is par for everyone in Silly Season, myself included. If the reported transfer fee of £24m is even close to reality, it's exceptional business by Arsenal from a financial perspective. However, that's a no comfort for the majority of supporters, seeing another star choose the greener grass on the other side of the Premier League fence.

At least the transfer saga is over, barring an unexpected fallout with van Persie's new prospective employers, or an injury picked up by another club's medical experts. What the new season will hold instead is an incessant point-keeping and cheerleading in the media and on the message boards: who will win a trophy? Robin or Arsène Wenger?

Van Persie's exit and the arrival of Santi Cazorla cancel each other out, squad wise. Arsenal still have a surplus; two first team players more than the 25-man Premier League squad rule allows. (More on Arsenal's status here.)

With Nicklas Bendtner a certainty to leave, Arsenal will lose at least one player with status as home grown. The prospect of losing another in Alex Song won't appeal to Wenger either. I would never interpret any quotes from the manager as gospel, not even those in the Sun yesterday where he states that Song is not for sale. If the player pushes for a move, Wenger's track record suggests he would rather cash in than keep an unhappy employee.

But Wenger would much prefer to get rid of players he openly wants to sell: Chu-Young Park and Sebastién Squillaci. I would not be at all surprised to see both Marouane Chamakh and Andrei Arshavin stay on at Arsenal, until the next transfer window at least. There is no financial sense in letting them leave before replacements are on the way. Besides, none of the two have gotten any better offers in a Silly Season marked by a poorer economical climate.

And we all know that the better offer wins at the end of the day.