Is This the Right Time for Cesc Fabregas to Move to Barcelona?

"The One That Got Away."

The phrase commonly used in Catalunya country to refer to perhaps the one major cantera product who plies his trade outside Barcelona.

It is the reference to a player who is now considered Barcelona's most important transfer target seven years after leaving the club, with the bidding for his services starting at £30m, and in all probability going upwards.

Step into the limelight, Cesc Fabregas.

At the age of 22, the captain of Arsenal has been the cornerstone of the legacy which Arsene Wenger is attempting to build at the Emirates stadium since Theirry Henry and "The Invincibles" completed their undefeated run, and won a Premier League Crown in 2003-04.

And with due respect to the likes of Steven Gerrard, Fabregas is the most complete attacking midfielder in the Premier League right now.

During his tenure at Arsenal, Fabregas' abilities and worth have only gone one way—up. For Wenger and Arsenal, everything and everybody is expendable except "the boy from Barcelona," who remains Arsenal's youngest first team debutant till date after making his debut when he was just 16 years old.

It is no laughing matter, especially if one considers that the first team in which Fabregas debuted was the fearsome and admired "Invincibles."

To break into such a team at less than 17 years of age spoke volumes of Wenger's confidence in his abilities. Fabregas has raised the bar higher since then, and few players are at his level when he is in form.

The legacy Wenger has been building at the Emirates—that of a relatively young side being able to compete and better the best which England and Europe have to offer—is close to fruition. With a couple of signings in the required areas, Arsenal's squad would be superbly equipped to handle the new season.

But everything revolves around Fabregas.

Arsenal is not the same without their captain. Whenever Fabregas was out with an injury in 2009-10, Arsenal seemed woefully short of ideas.

It would be fair to say that for all the talents and abilities of youngsters Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshire, they aren't, and might never be Fabregas.

The loss of Fabregas, if he does indeed go to Barcelona, would be at the very least a short-term disaster, and could wreck Wenger's dreams of bringing his team back to the top of the Premier League.

But there is another question that must be asked: Would such a transfer be advantageous for Fabregas?

Returning to his home and family was always going to be a personal success anyways, but is the right move for Fabregas career-wise?

Barcelona's current crop of centre midfielders comprises Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Keita, and Yaya Toure. Among them, Toure is certain to depart in the summer transfer window, given that he has fallen behind Busquets and Keita at the defensive midfield position.

People might say that given Toure's departure, there is a slot open in midfield at Barcelona that can be filled by Fabregas. But that statement would neglect two very important points.

The first is that Toure is a defensive midfielder, while Fabregas is an attacking one. So, it will not be a like-for-like replacement. The second point is that Barcelona's midfield setup differs markedly from Arsenal's, despite being a version of the 4-3-3.

Allow me to elaborate.

Barcelona play a super version of pressure football. The ball is either kept in possession, or the other team is harried into returning it. This allows Barcelona to play just one defensive midfielder, along with two attacking midfielders in Xavi and Iniesta, or Keita.

So Barcelona's formation is essentially a 4-1-2-3, which is altered to a 4-2-1-3 only when Messi plays in the "1" position, with Xavi moving deeper to accompany Busquets.

Arsenal, on the other hand, suffer from major defensive frailties. Even though they play possession football as well as Barcelona, the Arsenal midfield is setup differently to win possession, and protect the defense.

Arsenal play a 4-2-1-3, with two defensive midfielders among Song, Diaby, and Denilson playing behind Fabregas in the "1" position. This makes Fabregas the attacking pivot at Arsenal, and that is how his game is designed to be.

This philosophy will come under strain at Barcelona. At Barcelona, Fabregas won't be assured a starting eleven berth. A player who is considered the star at one club will simply become a substitute at another.

For all of Barcelona's history, treating an Arsenal captain in such a manner would be disrespectful. At least, he'll be assured of better treatment and respect than that accorded to Thierry Henry, who was on the wane, anyways.

A move to Barcelona would also mean that Fabregas would be forced to adapt his game by either playing as a part of the attacking axis rather than as a pivot or playing in a deeper role, similar to Xavi's. Neither is going to be easy to do for a player who has been at his effective best as an attacking midfielder who directs his team's offense.

Long used to being the lynch-pin, Fabregas will have to adapt his game to accommodate Iniesta's, in all probability. Xavi and Iniesta have played for years together, which is why they have an appreciation of each others' movements and use of space. Fabregas will certainly take time adapting himself to such a role and telepathic understanding.

Fabregas will have to change his game to bring in the aspect of constant pressurising and defensive running which characterizes Barcelona's game play. Thus, Fabregas' ability to remain forward and orchestrate attacks will be curtailed, something that will be a detriment to both his individual play and Barcelona's as a whole.

Finally, it remains to be seen as to how Barcelona will see Fabregas adapt his game at the Camp Nou. Will he mature as Xavi, a slightly deep-lying play-maker who pings passes all over the park, or as Iniesta, who is of a more attacking nature and plays further up-field?

By all accounts, Barcelona see him as a successor to Xavi. But his style of play lends itself more to comparison with Iniesta.

Attempts to alter Fabregas' style of playing could be disastrous for him, given that it took Wenger years to see the flaw in his plan of playing Fabregas deep in midfield.

vFabregas has become brilliant as an attacking midfielder and sees the game from such a player's point of view. Reverting him to a role in which he never really succeeded could very well be catastrophic for Fabregas.

For all their claims on Fabregas, Barcelona don't own him. As the team which discovered his talent, Barcelona now need to be the statesmen who would also think as to what could be best for someone who is regarded as "a son of Catalunya."

Bringing him back later in his career would seem to be more prudent, given that Fabregas could then come in when Xavi is close to retirement. Hopefully he would be mature enough to adapt his game much more easily to suit Barcelona's needs at that point, and so replace Xavi effectively.

It could then be said that Barcelona have indeed replaced a brilliant midfielder with another. After all, that's what Barcelona are known for, the ability to bring in a replacement for a player without the team game play really being affected by the change.

It will indeed be a triumph for Barcelona should Fabregas return to the team's starting eleven, particularly if the remaining ten don't feel like he was ever away. Ideally the rest of the squad will not feel like they are missing Xavi, who would be their heartbeat until Fabregas arrives to replace him.

Only then will it be a true homecoming for Fabregas, for he will no longer be "the one who got away."

He will become "the one who returned."