While I make conscious effort to avoid all the transfer tittle-tattle that flows around these times, the fresh reports that Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas has submitted a transfer request via his advisors are simply too significant to ignore on these pages.
It is widely reported that Fabregas met with his “people” yesterday and stated that he has decided on a move to Barcelona. Wenger will apparently now stage talks with the player. This comes after months of speculation linking the Fabregas to his beloved Barca – his birthplace and the club that nurtured his development as an academy starlet. It was thought that the Gunners skipper was set to postpone any proposed move and see out at least another season at the Emirates. These latest reports appear to scupper that and, although we are yet to hear directly from the club or the player himself, it is now widely accepted that Fabregas will leave for Barcelona with the move set to be agreed before the World Cup…
Fabregas has already stressed the he wants his future decided before the tournament. Whether a deal can be thrashed out between the two clubs by then is debatable. The reports suggest that Arsenal will look for £40 million for their prize asset, while Barcelona are said to be weighing up an offer of £30 million, perhaps with Yaya Touré or Zlatan Ibrahimovic offered in exchange. The popular thinking is that Wenger will have planned for this, that the mutterings surrounding the future of Fabregas will have already led to the Arsenal boss mulling over his options come the exit of his most influential player. If that’s the case then Wenger will insist on as big a war-chest as possible. How he spends it will be crucial and with Man City and a Champions League bound Spurs vying for signings, Arsenal won’t find it easy to pluck quality and experience from the talent pool.
You can read much much more on this story, plus suggestions on how Wenger will go about masterminding Arsenal’s future from this point around the papers today. Right now, until we are certain on the future of Fabregas, it’s all nothing but speculation – albeit a rather tasty slab for such an early stage of the Summer.
As a Fantasy Managers however I can’t help but ponder the possible loss of Fabregas from our games next season. The Spaniard truly established himself as a force last term, notching 15 goals and 15 assists and, had he escaped the injuries, he would have surely pushed Frank Lampard as the most valuable Fantasy asset.
Arsenal’s plan B will likely hand us new options with the roles of Abou Diaby, Samir Nasri and perhaps even Jack Wilshere of particular interest. The vigour and creativity that Fabregas brought to Wenger’s side will be a huge loss though, both to the Gunners and our Fantasy pre-season plans. It’s not quite be like losing Ronaldo but one thing is for sure, allocating Fantasy Premier League bonus points to the Arsenal ranks is set to get a lot more difficult next season.