Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Right Not to Rue Declining Fabregas Return

Cesc Fabregas has returned to the Premier League this season and showcased arguably the finest form of his career, but Arsene Wenger doesn't regret that it's taking place at Chelsea and not Arsenal.

Speaking to beIN Sports (h/t Daily Mail's Joe Strange), the Gunners chief stated that his side already had enough firepower in Fabregas' area of the pitch: "I don't regret not taking Cesc because we already had a lot of creative players in our midfield."

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It's a fair assessment, too, given that Arsenal have been praised for the amount of creative players under their hood, though admittedly their crime is perhaps not having enough depth in midfielders of other specialities.

Per Squawka, Arsenal have created the fourth-highest amount of chances this season, making only three fewer key passes than the Blues in total, the quality of striking talent perhaps the biggest difference between the two sides.

Fabregas is responsible for 22 of those chances, seven of which have been converted into goals according to Squawka, the highest number of any Premier League individual this term.

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A large part that success, however, is due to factors which are actually outside Fabregas' control. To have a specialist anchor as talented as Nemanja Matic alongside him has been incredibly valuable and is a presence Arsenal simply don't boast at present.

Instead, Wenger has the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla, each of whom leans more intrinsically to the creative side of the game.

Squawka compared the campaigns of Fabregas and Ozil so far, players who stand to be the puppeteers of their respective sides, with one firmly outdoing the other:

Had Ozil never made his 2013 switch to the Emirates Stadium, we might be talking of Fabregas as a Gunner once again, but even at a reduced fee his acquisition this summer would have been an extreme luxury. 

Wenger is also right to concentrate on the matters on hand and not dwell on what might have been, which is certainly a dangerous frivolity that any elite manager shouldn't entertain.

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Looking to Matic as an example once again, it's instead a player of his attributes and style that the Frenchman should be aiming for in the winter to give his engine room a steel that's been lacking for some years now.

Mikel Arteta has filled in to the best of his ability as an enforcer since arriving in north London, but Wayne Veysey of Goal.com admits the midfield is where the problems currently lie:

However, adding Fabregas to that melting pot wouldn't have fixed the issue. For a fee of £30 million, the Gunners might have added another option to their list of maestros, but beating around the real issue and spending finances in the meantime isn't resolving anything.

It would be easy to glance over at Stamford Bridge and feel lovelorn for the talent Arsenal once knew, now in blue and doing so much better in his new relationship. However, the problems run too deep for Fabregas to solve; Wenger must address them this winter.