Some say that Arsenal’s obsession with beauty will damage their chances of winning the Barclays Premier League. Robin van Persie says that it is the reason why he is at the club.

“I would never give that up,” the forward said. “Only a few teams in Europe play the way Arsenal play. Personally, I will always go for a team where I would, for example, earn less money but the team plays fantastic, rather than go to a team where you can earn lots of money and win every week, 1-0, 2-0, and play a defensive style.”

Chelsea, who usurped Arsenal’s primacy in the capital, are never far from Arsenal’s thoughts, so it would not be a stretch to suggest that José Mourinho’s side, with their reputation for containment and arch pragmatism, were blinking on Van Persie’s radar. Especially because he also opined that “football isn’t about money and flashy things”.

If Arsène Wenger, who has a year left on his contract, were to leave Arsenal, Van Persie agreed that he, like other players, would consider his position at the club. “I don’t really think he [the manager] is going to leave, [but] for me that would change some things,” he said. “I like the way he treats his players, I like the way he trains. Sometimes when I was younger I was a bit upset when I wasn’t playing, but he was always telling me, ‘Take it easy, your time will come.’ ” It is surely now. Van Persie was Arsenal’s top scorer last season with 13 goals and the club are now without Thierry Henry. Van Persie endorsed the France striker’s decision to move to Barcelona, having left an indelible imprint, but shied away from the suggestion that he has much in common with Henry.

“I’m not a tennis player. Football is about a whole squad working together,” Van Persie said. “I have a great feeling about this season. We’re young, yes, but we have lots of quality. I believe in the consistency of this team. It’s not about me scoring 20 goals. I think we can go for the title, definitely. We can be a surprise.”

It might have been an accident, but he was effectively acknowledging that Arsenal are closer to being considered outsiders in the title race than serious contenders.

Van Persie accepts, though, that, even aged 23 and after only three years in London, he must take on the responsibility befitting a senior player. “I really looked up to players like Thierry, Dennis [Bergkamp], [Robert] Pires, [Patrick] Vieira,” he said. “Year by year they have gone.”

Of the regulars who won the title in 2003-04, only Jens Lehmann, the goalkeeper, Kolo Touré and Gilberto Silva remain.

Arsenal play Lazio this evening in the LG Amsterdam Tournament and Ajax on Saturday. Van Persie, born in Rotterdam, seemed pleased to be on native turf, but Amsterdam is more like enemy territory. He was attacked by Ajax fans who invaded the pitch en masse when he was playing for Feye-noord reserves in 2004. He said that he had feared for his life and needed therapy to get over the trauma, but was more sanguine last night.

“Something bad was going on,” he said. “I’m not saying it’s OK, but I don’t really want to speak about it, about negative stuff.”

There was room for a joke with Wesley Sneijder, his Holland teammate and an Ajax player, as they shared the press-conference stage yesterday. Sneijder’s contract expires next summer. “See you next year,” he told his friend. Despite Van Persie’s accent on the positive, it is not a phrase that many at Arsenal will employ until Wenger’s future is secure.