Arsenal Transfer Speculation: 5 Players Who Could Replace Cesc Fabregas

It is unusual that the sale of a club captain, and the most influential player in a team, is met by a sigh of relief. No crowds of disgruntled fans will gather outside the Emirates once the sale of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona is finalised, and countless Arsenal fans will still sing their praises to manager Arsene Wenger.

Despite the apparent apathy of Arsenal fans concerning the transfer of their best player, the Gunners will need to replace him. Immediately.

This is a list that I have put together of five players who I believe are realistic targets for the club. Sorry Gunners fans, but you are not going to sign Thiago Alcantara, and Wesley Sneijder is probably a little too expensive.

I have included a youth player and a current squad player because Wenger does have a tendency to promote from within. After that, I have chosen players in whom Arsenal have expressed an interest in the not so distant past.

Except of course Pjanić—I just believe that he is a top-quality midfielder.

Anyway, read on and tell me what you think…

Emmanuel Frimpong

Age: 19

Club: Arsenal

Nationality: English/Ghanaian

At age 19, Emmanuel Frimpong has won more silverware than most players who will make Arsenal’s first team against Newcastle this weekend, albeit at youth level.

The Ghanaian-born midfielder has won two FA Premier Academy Leagues, in 2008-09 and 2009-10, and has the 2008-09 FA Youth Cup in his cabinet as well.

Despite his accomplished youth career, the former England U-16 and U-17 international is yet to make his competitive league debut.

It seems likely that the 2011-12 campaign will be the year Frimpong makes his league debut, however it is not clear whether it will be with Arsenal. Reports from earlier in the transfer window quote the 19-year-old claiming that he was in talks with Championship club Cardiff City and League 1 giants Charlton Athletic.

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“There have been talks about Cardiff and Charlton Athletic, but I know [I can be] a regular of Arsenal if I stay clear of injury.”

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He did, however, state his enthusiasm to play for Arsenal, if the opportunity was to arise.

“I’m just going to wait for my opportunity. If Mr Wenger comes to me this pre-season and says ‘Emmanuel I want to give you another opportunity’ then I have to show him I can do what I did this season, but if he doesn’t come up to me to say ‘I’m giving you an opportunity’ then obviously my time at Arsenal doesn’t look too good,” he said.   

Mr. Wenger has come to Frimpong this preseason. On July 13^th, he made a substitute appearance for the Gunners against Malaysia XI.

Frimpong is a player who is obviously talented, but the style of play to which he is associated more closely relates to the role Alex Song plays for Arsenal than Cesc Fabregas.

Of course, there is potential for the 19-year-old to develop his game into a more attack-orientated style of football, but at such a young age, it is arguably better for a player to grow into a position that comes naturally to him.

Given Wenger’s history of giving youngsters a chance, it is likely that Frimpong will make some Premier League appearances this season. His quality is obvious; whether he can fill the hole that Fabregas could leave, however, seems a distinct uncertainty.

Aaron Ramsey

Age: 20

Club: Arsenal

Nationality: Welsh

It is hard to believe that Aaron Ramsey is only 20; he is captain of the Wales national team, has 34 Arsenal first-team appearances to his name and spent almost a year out of action after suffering a horrific injury against Stoke.

At age 18, the Welsh midfielder had won the adoration of Gunners fans, but then it all went wrong after a poorly timed Ryan Shawcross tackle. Despite this, the Welshman is rebuilding his fledgling career and all signs suggest that he will be one of Arsenal’s best players for many seasons to come.

The Welshman is an accomplished central midfielder, a great dribbler on the ball and capable of making penetrating runs off of it. He has a keen eye for goal and is capable of creating goal-scoring opportunities too.  

His leadership qualities also mean that he could go on to become an Arsenal captain, although first he has to prove that he is capable of filling Fabregas’ shoes.  

The 2011-12 is the season that Ramsey has to truly establish himself as a first-team player, in a similar fashion to how Wilshere came of age last season.

In the past he has been a little injury-prone, and guilty of burning out. At the same time, his chances to get an extended run in the first team were limited. If Wenger does choose Ramsey to fill his midfield hole, the Welshman will be given a blank canvas and it is up to him to paint the picture.

Miralem Pjanić

Age: 21

Club: Olympique Lyonnais

Nationality: Bosnian

When Metz were relegated to the French Ligue 2, the club was swarmed with offers from Europe’s most elite clubs for playmaker Miralem Pjanić.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal, AC Milan and Inter Milan formed a cavalry of clubs hoping to claim the signature of the then 18-year-old. It therefore came as a surprise when the Bosnian signed for French giants Olympique Lyonnais.

In his three seasons at the Stade de Gerland, the 21-year-old has been in imperious form. The Bosnian has 87 first-team league appearances for Lyon, netting nine goals and contributing a further nine assists in the process.

The regular football he has played at such a young age can be viewed in stark contrast to Aaron Ramsey’s CV.

The problem is, any transfer to bring Pjanić to the club will be exceedingly expensive. Arsenal have stated that any money raised from the transfer of Fabregas will be reinvested into the team, but a deal involving the Bosnian would eat up almost all of these funds.

Arsenal needs players in every position and spending an entire transfer kitty on Pjanić could be ill-advised.

If they were to try and lure the youngster to the Emirates, and if the youngster was to show an interest, the Gunners would without doubt be signing the services of one of the most talented players on the continent.

Pjanić’s style of football is a little more attack-orientated than Fabregas’; the Spaniard is a little bit more of an all-around player. With Jack Wilshere and Alex Song also occupying the centre of midfield, however, Pjanić’s attacking football could be complemented by the more conservative approach adopted by Wilshere and Song.

At present, this signing is nothing more than a fantasy. What should be remembered, however, is Gourcuff regularly beat Pjanić to a place in Lyon’s starting 11 last season, meaning there could be a little leeway if Arsenal were to try and enter negotiations with the French club.

Furthermore, if Fabregas is finally sold, Arsenal will have some real financial spending power—something of a rarity for the club. Big money may be all it takes to lure the Bosnian to the Emirates.

Douglas Costa

Age: 20               

Club: Shaktar Donetsk

Nationality: Brazilian

Douglas Costa may be playing in a relatively unheard-of league, far out east, but the Brazilian attacking midfielder is fast growing a reputation for himself.

The 20-year-old is already viewed as one of the best young midfielders playing in Europe. It could, however, be argued that his chances of developing into a world-class superstar are limited if he continues to play domestic football in Ukraine.

If Wenger was able to add Douglas Costa to his 25-man squad, he would be signing a youngster with experience at playing in European football and winning a domestic football league.

Ultimately, this is the kind of player Wenger needs to sign. At 20, Costa is undoubtedly young, but he is also a winner.

Reports have already linked Arsenal with the Brazilian already this summer. In June, it was believed that Wenger would attempt to buy the midfielder in a transfer that saw Denilson head the other way. Unfortunately, Denilson is still an Arsenal player, and unfortunately, Arsenal are still looking for a potential replacement for Fabregas.

The proceeds of Fabregas’ transfer, however, would mean that Wenger would be able to return to the Shaktar board and offer them a substantial financial package to secure the signature of the highly rated midfielder.

Costa has a lust for scoring goals. He already has a tally equaling one goal every four games, which is very respectable. Given the right coaching, however, this could drop, potentially as low as a goal in every three games.

The problem for Arsenal is that Costa is primarily played on either wing for Shaktar, making him relatively inexperienced in the centre of midfield. His physicality and high work rate, however, suggest that he could easily adapt to fill the hole in the Gunners' midfield.

Yoann Gourcuff

Age: 25

Club: Olympique Lyonnais

Nationality: French

Arsene Wenger has a fondness for signing French players and there aren’t many better than Yoann Gourcuff.

Unlike the other players on this list, Gourcuff is a seasoned international, and older than 21. His career trophy haul already boasts a Champions League winner’s medal, a Club World Championship winner’s medal and a French domestic season treble.

Such success has eluded Arsenal for six years. The unfortunate mix-up between Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczęsny in last season’s Carling Cup final certainly suggests that the current Gunners team do not know how to win trophies.

The same can be said of Arsenal’s league campaign, which went embarrassingly off boil in the closing 10 games of last season.

The experience of Gourcuff could help settle nerves at Arsenal, and provide them with invaluable leadership—something that the squad is desperately lacking.

He does not score as many goals as Fabregas but his career tally boasts a healthy amount of assists.

His playing style has led to connotations being drawn between him and Zinedine Zidane, although in reality he is a long way off achieving the heights the 1998 World Cup winner reached.

He has, however, been referred to by David Ginola as the “best French player of his generation.” Such a compliment is no small feat, especially given the fact the French national team consists of players such as Evra, Nasri and Benzema.

Gourcuff’s best position is that of attacking midfielder, something that Arsenal are lacking in the centre of midfield. He is capable of making piercing runs but his real quality is his passing.

One thing Arsenal will miss if Fabregas goes is the opportunities that the Spaniard creates; Gourcuff’s ability to pick a killer pass could easily bridge this gap.

Like Pjanić, Gourcuff will not come cheap but if Arsenal want to show that they should be viewed as serious title contenders, they need to make a statement of intent by signing a player with such a strong background.

So, What Do You Think?

Is Aaron Ramsey good enough to fill the void?

Who do you want to see most from these choices?

If you do not like these choices, who would you prefer to see?

Will Fabregas even leave?