Robin van Persie has paid tribute to ’s former chief scout Steve Rowley following his death on Sunday.
Rowley, who passed away following a short illness aged 63, joined Arsenal in 1980 and was promoted to the chief scout position following ’s arrival in 1996.
During his 37 years at the club, he was credited with discovering the likes of and Tony Adams.
In 2004, he unearthed Van Persie and, this week, the Dutchman praised Rowley for persuading Wenger to sign him for the Gunners from Feyenoord.
He told  : ‘I am eternally grateful to him and will miss him so much. Without his influence I might have had a nice career, but never as beautiful as it became.
‘Steve stuck his neck out for me. At a crucial moment in my career, because let’s be honest: it was not my best period at Feyenoord. I wasn’t very comfortable with it.
‘But he was convinced and a few months later I was playing in . In all those years at I’ve always played a little bit with him on my mind. I felt that I also owed it to him to succeed at the top.’
A new language and a new city can be daunting for young players. But Rowley is said to have helped new recruits settle in at Arsenal.
Speaking of his own experience, Van Persie praised Rowley for the way he helped him and his wife build their life in London, going beyond the duties of his job.
He added: ‘Every Monday after training he sat down with me. Then he showed me pictures of Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires. Then he showed images of me in the second team of Arsenal. Then he would ask me questions about the choices I made and let me analyse the game of Bergkamp and Pires.
‘He made me aware of my points for improvement and if you are talking about a sense of space and learning to create that space? He was a master at that. He also had a sense of humour and was friendly.
‘His care for me and my wife was enormous, he assisted us as a family in everything and later even helped with the purchase of our dream house. All those things aren’t part of a Chief Scout’s responsibilities, but he did it.’
, .
,  and .
