Why Arsenal Must Sign Cesc Fabregas Regardless of Need for Midfielder

As any Arsenal fan with an Internet connection is by now aware, Barcelona are looking to sell Cesc Fabregas.

The Spaniard was never a perfect fit at the Camp Nou. He was brought back to his hometown club in 2011 when the sanctified midfield trio of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta was at the peak of its powers.

The weakest link in that remarkable group is probably Busquets, relatively speaking. But Fabregas is certainly not a defensive midfielder, so that position was closed. He is also not a ball-holder and rapid-fire distributor like Xavi, so that role was already filled. And Andres Iniesta was simply a better attacking midfielder.

Consequently, Fabregas spent a relatively significant amount of time on the bench during his first couple of campaigns. Multiple Barca managers attempted to deploy him as variously a winger, an attacking midfielder, a central midfielder when one of the team's regulars was out and even a false nine.

Though Fabregas was somewhat effective in these roles due to his sheer quality and the often inferior skill of the opposition, it was always evident that he was being played out of position. But how can you keep a player as good as he is out of the line-up on a regular basis?

Siu Wu/Associated Press

If the multitude of recent reports in the press are to be believed, the answer is that Barcelona simply cannot. 

Still, the timing of Fabregas' potential departure seems odd. Barca should be signing him now, not letting him leave. Xavi is 34, and Iniesta is not getting any younger at 30. Is this really a time to let one of the best midfielders in the world leave?

Yet, Barcelona have apparently decided that Fabregas is expendable and thus are likely to let him go for a relatively minimal fee.

This is extremely important from an Arsenal fan's perspective.

The Gunners do not really need Fabregas, either. They already have one of the best attacking midfielders in the world in Mesut Ozil and several other elite midfielders such as Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla. Why add to the one area of the squad jam-packed with depth?

Tactics.

If Barcelona are really so set on letting Fabregas leave, they will not demand an exorbitant transfer fee for him. It will more or less be commensurate with his prodigious ability and the fact that, at 27, he is in the prime of his career, but the fee will not be nearly as inflated as it would otherwise be.

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According to John Cross of the Mirror, Arsenal have the right of first refusal if Barcelona decide to sell Fabregas. Though the clause seems difficult to put into practice, the Gunners should be able to use it to block the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool from nabbing a fantastic player at a cut rate.

It would be foolish not to do so. By purchasing Fabregas, Arsenal would not only be enriching themselves on the pitch and getting insurance against future injury crises, but also prevent their direct title rivals from becoming significantly stronger.

Moreover, this would be a signal of intent to other elite clubs: The Gunners would effectively be stating that they are now major players in the transfer market, capable of influencing the business of multiple heavyweight clubs all by themselves.

After several years of stasis in the transfer market and underwhelming returns compared to the club's vast financial resources, this would definitively put Arsenal back among the very best football clubs around the world.

Additionally, they would end up with Cesc Fabregas. Let's not forget that. 

While Arsene Wenger would face a problem with giving every prodigal talent on his team adequate playing time, the squad has not been rotated nearly enough in previous seasons, and the quality of players' performances has suffered.

That would not be an issue now, nor would the seemingly annual injury crisis that always seems to derail the club's title dreams.

Fabregas also loves Arsenal so much that he would probably not kick up much of a fuss if he were not played in every single game like he used to be.

Regardless, Arsenal would be making a massively costly mistake if they did not act and allowed Fabregas to play against them for Chelsea or another top English team. Any transfer fee under £35 million is a wise investment in their title chances.

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