Cesc Fabregas' Barcelona Dreams: Why Arsenal Won't Lose Their Skipper Next Year

To almost any football fan, Fabregas' journey to Barcelona is inevitable. The boy who saw his first game at 6 months and worked through the youth system with Messi and Iniesta... blah blah blah blah blah. It's very easy to romanticise this whole idea, but let's look at some facts:

Barcelona showed no faith in Fabregas. If they thought he'd turn into the talent he is, do you really think Wenger would have managed to get a look in? Arsenal are Fabregas' youth club. He joined at 16. He played for the first team at 16. In most people's books that counts as youth.

The biggest factor in football, once you strip away the media twists, is money. The simple truth is that Barcelona won't be able to afford him at the end of this season. Their debts will be catching up to them and with the renovation of the Nou Camp eating up their cash reserves, I just can't see where the money will come from.

They bought Mascherano. He's an in-between player for them. I can't see him being Barcelona's future, but he's good for a couple of years.

Fabregas won't get the game time nor the position he deserves. It was evident against Braga that he flourishes in the Arsenal system because he is the centre point. You only need to watch Spain to understand his position in the current Barca set up: a bench warmer.

Xavi is still playing. Fabregas will not get regular first team action until Xavi retires or starts getting too old to play for an entire season. Fabregas should wait until this happens before moving.

It makes more all-around sense that way. Fabregas can continue developing at Arsenal in a system that is built around him. Xavi can continue being the Barcelona hero. Because of his continued rate of development, Barcelona will have a better player. Barcelona can gather the funds required to prise the Arsenal skipper from a team he does love.

There's a misunderstanding in this whole thing. Fabregas does not want to leave Arsenal. He does want to play for Barcelona. These statements are completely separate. 

Fabregas can develop Arsenal's next generation of midfielders. He may also win the English Premier League in this time.

Wenger has no reason to let him go.

This will be dismissed by many as the rantings of a deluded fan. But it all makes sense. At 23, Fabregas has another decade in football, there is no rush to do anything. Everybody wins if he stays at Arsenal for a few more seasons.