In Arsene We Trust: Have Faith Arsenal Fans

It’s been two days since Cesc Fabregas allegedly asked for a return to his boyhood club.

In the days following that supposed meeting, we’ve been inundated with constant stories of Cesc to Barca stories, driven by a tabloid press looking to gain more and more hits.

Arsenal's refusal to comment on the matter is the most telling factor in all of this. If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know, that Cesc isn't going anywhere, I don’t know what else would.

At a press conference a few months back, Arsene was asked what he thought about the prospect of Fabregas returning to Barcelona this summer. Arsene replied, “Do you think we invest all this time in these players to sell them?”

This whole scenario surfaced when Cesc was asked by a journalist in Spain that should he ever leave Arsenal, would he like to play for Barcelona?

He replied in the affirmative but added, “I am happy at Arsenal, and in no hurry to leave.” Of course, Laporta and his evil servant Txiki have interpreted the comment as an indication that the player wants to return home.

After all, Cesc is their own, a La Masia product who has the barca DNA. He trained beside the likes of Messi and Pique.

It's all nonsense. These two haven't told you there is an election going on this year for the club's presidency. Laporta cannot run again.

Rather than see his rival Rosell get the plaudits for signing Fabregas, Laporta would like to deliver the player before he leaves office.

That is easier said than done, of course. He knows that Fabregas is contracted to Arsenal until the 2014 season. Arsene Wenger won’t let him leave without making Barcelona pay through the nose for his team captain, and face of the club. 

Rather than be accused of tapping up the player, they employ newspapers and folks like Guillem Balague to perpetrate silly rumors with the hope of destabilizing the player. They want the fans to push the player out.

The damage would be done by the time an offer comes in. Arsenal would have no choice but to sell.

That is the hope. As far as it being reality, you can forget about Fabregas moving to Barcelona this year. Or the next. It's more likely to happen when he turns 28. That's another four years away.

For once, we are in the driver’s seat here. We don’t have to sell and are financially sound. Money won’t be an issue.

Wenger won’t risk losing the fans by letting his prized asset leave for peanuts. And judging by his transfer dealings, if and if only the player has categorically stated he no longer wants to play for the Arsenal, I expect Barcelona to pay over the odds for him.

Football has changed drastically. Player contracts are no longer what they used to be, but Fabregas willingly signed till 2014. He wasn’t forced to, and saying he wants to leave will only put him in a position he doesn’t want to be in. 

He won’t want to be seen as turning his back on the club and forcing his way out. That’s why it’s intriguing to me that the papers keep reporting of a secret meeting.

You see, Joseba Diaz is no longer his agent. From my understanding, he is represented by someone who resides in England. There is no truth in the story of his agent flying in to hold talks with Arsene.

I have utter faith in Wenger. I trust he will do the right thing by the club. So far, the club has refused to comment. This isn’t unusual.

It's the right thing to do anyway. Why lend credence to rumors when they aren’t true to begin with?

Don’t believe anything you read until you see it up on the official arsenal website. I know in the past they have usually published a direct quote from Fabregas immediately after a rumor stating his desire to remain with the club.

Reports from Spain suggest that Barcelona is prepared to offer yaya toure plus 30m for Cesc because they see him as a product of their academy.

The truth is, regardless of whether Cesc played in their youth system or not, he is now contracted to Arsenal football club. It’s in their interest to force a deal as soon as possible. But it doesn’t mean Arsenal have to kowtow to their demands. The longer this goes on, the more tenuous their position becomes.

That’s why their sporting director is quoted in the press today saying, “they would respect the wishes of Arsenal.”

I don’t believe we are even interested in Yaya Toure. As a trialist, he didn’t seem to tickle Wenger’s fancy. Why would that change now? Felipe Melo is the midfielder we are after, not Toure.

Make no mistake, losing Fabregas would be a blow not only to the club, but to what Arsene Wenger has strived to achieve since the move to the Emirates.

It would undermine all the good work he has done keeping the club solvent, while at the same time keeping us competitive. It would also send the wrong message to other young players that their futures at the club might not be bright, after all.

If he leaves, it will be because he wants to, not because Arsenal want him gone. The articles are going to come thick and fast.

The telegraph just recycled an old story about Peter Hill Woods' comments about Fabregas two months ago. Another paper claims the club, and the player have, agreed to terms and he will be signed before the weekend.

The only person capable of ending this furore is the player himself. He could just state that he is interested in staying at Arsenal.

But alas, football players are like divas. They all want to be wanted. They want to feel important.

So let Cesc have his day in the sun. Come August, I expect to see him in the Arsenal red and white.

I could also have egg on my face should he leave, in which case I would wish him the best and hope he's successful.

‘Til Tomorrow.

Filed under: Gunners