Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Takes Offensive in Nasri, Fabregas Fights

Arsenal have found themselves locked in some of the wildest, most compelling transfer story lines of the summer, courtesy of midfield dynamos Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas.

The pair have been embroiled in transfer sagas of the highest order, as Barcelona tries to bring Fabregas, also known as the prodigal prodigy, back to the Nou Camp. Meanwhile, Nasri has become a wantaway midfielder for the Gunners, as he has demanded proof that manager Arsene Wenger is ready to pay for players (and pay him more cash, as well). 

The drama has raged back and forth for a good portion of the summer as Wenger has fought off bids from interested clubs; he has largely taken a defensive stance on both of the play-making midfielders. He resisted offers from other clubs, but seldom actively spoke out that he planned to keep them both. 

Now, according to a report from Mirror Football, that may finally be changing.

Wenger went on the offensive for the first time since the summer transfer window began, telling reporters that the Gunners could no longer be considered a big club should they lose their pair of aces to other elite squads. 

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"Imagine the worst situation—we lose Fabregas and Nasri—you cannot convince people you are ambitious after that," he said.

"And even if you lose Nasri, to find the same quality player, you have to spend again the same amount of money. Because you cannot say, you lose the player and you do not replace him.

"I believe for us it is important the message we give out. For example, you talk about Fabregas leaving, Nasri leaving.

"If you give that message out, you cannot pretend you are a big club, because a big club first of all holds onto its big players and gives a message out to all the other big clubs that they just cannot come in and take away from you.

"We worked very hard with these players for years to develop them, and now it's a time for us to keep them together."

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If you're a Gunner fan, this is exactly what you want to hear from your manager. Wenger knows that if the club's board has its way, Fabregas is as good as gone once Barca hit the £35 million plateau with a bid. He knows that the issue doesn't lie with the players, but with management, and he's telling them something that should resonate with them in a big way. 

After all, this is one of the proudest, most historic clubs in the entire sport. Over the last decade and a half, few teams have been able to match the Gunners' success and talent level, but if Fabregas and Nasri leave, that legacy will come to an abrupt end. 

Rather than sitting back, it's clear that Wenger isn't going down in either of these potential situations without a fight. He knows what both of these players mean to the club—and what losing them would likely do to the club's chances next season.

So, he's doing the only thing he can do—showing the board that losing both Nasri and Fabregas would hit them where it hurts the most: the wallet. Not in the short term—the cash windfall from the pair would likely eclipse £60 million—but over the long term. If the team loses its captain and one of its top offensive players, they'll struggle to contend and the finances will take a hit. 

I'm not saying the Gunners will wind up fighting for a place in the Premiership; they'll still be a solid top-seven squad, with the likes of Jack Wilshere, Robin van Persie, Gervinho, Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott in the starting 11.

But, they won't be locks for the Champions League, nor will they be guaranteed to contend in the Premiership as they are now. They need one or both of the midfield dynamos still in the fold if they hope to maintain the run of success (even if the hardware hasn't come) that they've had in recent seasons. 

On top of that, Wenger is also sending a message to Barcelona, Manchester's City and United, and Chelsea: While the players may have prices on their tags, that doesn't mean he's selling them. 

This is the kind of thing Wenger needs to do if he wants to build this squad. He has to fight for the players he wants, and taking that fight to the press is a great way to make sure he's heard. For the first time this summer, the Frenchman is showing the grit that Gunners fans want to see from him. 

While this is a step in the right direction for Wenger, the Gunner boss has only completed half the battle. If he wants fans to take this rebuild seriously, he has to actually find defensive help—and spend some cash to get it to Emirates.

I realize that he doesn't have the unlimited pockets that City or Chelsea do, but Wenger has more in his coffers than you think. It's time to put it to use and get the players who will help this squad win the hardware they've lacked over the last six seasons. 

In the end, Wenger's comments are a step in the right direction. He's clearly finished being defensive and is taking over the attack, proactively defending both Nasri and Fabregas (although he still left the door open for the Spaniard to leave). But, while that's definitely a victory, he still has work to do.

If he can't bring a couple more talented players into the club on the defensive side of the ball, he can bluster all he wants about fighting for his midfield maestros, but it won't mean a thing. In the end, the words are important, but without the action to go along with them, Wenger is all talk.