Robin to rest

Arsenal will rest Robin van Persie for Sunday’s Barclays Premier League clash with Everton as a precautionary measure.

The injury-prone Dutch striker was substituted at half-time of Monday night’s 6-2 drubbing of Derby after sustaining a slight thigh problem.

Van Persie, 24, has been afflicted by the same injury already this season and boss Arsenal Wenger decided he would benefit from sitting out the penultimate match of the campaign.

“Van Persie is out as a precaution. We don’t want to gamble at this stage on a muscular problem,” Wenger told Arsenal TV.

Wenger added: “We had a little alert with Robin but it’s not big at all.”

Mathieu Flamini could be included among the substitutes after recovering from the ankle injury sustained in last month’s 4-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat by Liverpool.

“Maybe Mathieu will be on the bench but I don’t know yet. He might join in during training today,” said Wenger.

An update on Flamini’s future is expected today with the powerful French midfielder yet to decide on whether he will stay at Arsenal next term.

Meanwhile, Keith Edelman’s departure as managing director has revived speculation the club could be the subject of a takeover.

Arsenal revealed to the Stock Exchange yesterday morning that Edelman was leaving Emirates Stadium in “search of a fresh challenge”.

Responsible for overseeing the move from Highbury to Ashburton Grove, he played a key role in increasing income – namely by brokering sponsorship deals with Nike and Emirates.

Edelman was strongly opposed to a foreign takeover when Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov and American Stan Kroenke were thought ready to move last summer.

His stance brought him into conflict with former vice chairman David Dein, who departed a year ago, and his exit has removed a barrier to foreign investment in the club.