This is already setting itself up to be one of those tedious transfer sagas that span the entirety of the summer window. This time, however, Arsenal won’t mind the seemingly endless wait if the end result is Cesc Fabregas back at the club.
Arsenal tried to justify the sale of Robin van Persie to Manchester United as “football reasons.” They still haven’t really cleared that one up. They’re fortunate, and quite clever, that they managed to land on a conclusion that leaves so many people bewildered that they could quietly slip out the door while their “football reasons” stewed among supporters.
I can’t really fathom the idea that too many good players can be detrimental. To add to that, it’s even more baffling why clubs wouldn’t acquire players with a specific skill set in order to properly execute a style of play.
Let’s be honest, Arsenal haven’t played that brand of football for a long time. It’s the style that Arsene Wenger introduced to Highbury and carried over to the Emirates that brought about so much admiration from supporters and neutrals. Yet it’s been back to basics for Arsenal this past season, relying on their defence to get them over the line and more or less abandoning the brand of football that was associated with Fabregas.
Can there really be a danger in bringing Fabregas back to Arsenal? Well, yes. The hope from supporters, naturally, would be that the player would just continue where he left off from the last time. The facts are that this current Arsenal squad – and let’s not forget those marquee signings the supporters have been promised – is vastly different from the one Fabregas left in 2011. The weight of importance has been shifted elsewhere in the team and compatriot Santi Cazorla takes up much of the creative responsibility on the pitch. Furthermore, following that round of contract renewals midway through this past season, it’s a club that have found their new flag bearer for the long-term future.
So why even bother to bring in Fabregas when the club look well-stocked for midfielders in that mould? Well again, you don’t pass up an opportunity to sign a player like Fabregas when he becomes available. It’s not too far off to say that the former Arsenal captain is a once-in-a-lifetime player. In fact that’s quite accurate.
Throwing Fabregas into the mix at the Emirates offers that depth of quality that the club have been lacking since the days at Highbury. For the first time, a matured Fabregas would have the supporting (or surrounding) cast that he’s been deserving of at Arsenal. It doesn’t matter what’s gone on at Barcelona: at Arsenal he could and should once again become the focal point of the team, with or without the armband.
But why is there so much questioning of this potential signing? If we’re going down this route with Fabregas and asking whether it could be detrimental to the other players in the team, isn’t that question equally valid for any other potential signing the club make? Oddly, it seems to take on that frustrating stance Wenger used to hold, the “I’d end up killing Denilson if I bought in another player,” approach. You don’t need that it sports. It’s completely counterproductive and makes no sense.
What should be explored here is the impact Fabregas would have on Wilshere. We’ve seen small glimpses at how well Wilshere, Cazorla and Mikel Arteta combine in the Arsenal midfield. It’s slight hints of the football that should be on display at the Emirates, not just because of the ticket prices but because it’s become an overwhelming trait of the football club. Barcelona buy players that fit into their ethos and complement their traditions, so why shouldn’t Arsenal do the same?
There’s a sense of continuity, irony and ignorance at those who seek to question the possibility of Fabregas back at Arsenal. It’s the same questioning that warred against his move to Barcelona in 2011, fuelled mostly by bitterness. The fact that much of what was expected eventually came to pass isn’t enough to merit a pat on the back; even with those questions as to where Fabregas would fit in at Barcelona, surely no one believed that what they were saying would actually play out.
But just like Barcelona, and just like Arsenal in 2003, there’s a reason why the north London club are looking at the same player 10 years on. It doesn’t need immediate vindication, it just needs a small group to believe that it’s right for the football club; the rest will follow.
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