Cesc Fàbregas: Barcelona Is Nice, but Staying with Arsenal Is Even Better

Over the last two years, Cesc Fabregas has been constantly linked with a big-money transfer from North London powerhouse Arsenal to Catalan giants Barcelona.  Now, if you're unaware of this story, you fall into one of three categories: 

1.  You don't follow soccer or football very well, if at all.  Not to sound insulting, but you probably think Arsenal's moniker is a tribute to the club founders' favorite Monopoly piece, Barcelona has won several World Cups, and that "Fabregas" is a new drug that combats acid reflux.

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2.  You are a die-hard Gunner fan (known in taxonomy circuits as Homo Goonerus) with a serious case of "possible superstar transfer denial."  Symptoms include avoiding all media related to the possible transfer of a favorite or key player as well as running out of conversations discussing the matter with hands over the ears screaming: "la la la la la la."  It not only affects the most devout "Gooner," with severe cases recently affecting the faithful fanbase of Premier League clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United.

3.  You don't care because you are too busy organizing an angry mob to go chase down Wayne Rooney, trap him in an old wooden windmill, and set fire to said windmill in order to dramatically symbolize the monster inside us all.  (Please Google or Wikipedia "Frankenstein 1931 film" if you're having hard time with that one.)

On a more serious note, though, lets take a look at a few reasons why Cesc Fabregas should stay in London.

Arsenal Needs Him, Barcelona Doesn't

Every team can never have enough attacking options, especially from the midfield.  Both Arsenal and Barcelona prefer an attack-heavy formation like a 4-2-3-1, a 4-3-3, a 4-1-2-3, etc.  No matter the numerical alignment, both clubs employ a single striker flanked by two attacking midfielders or wingers with a three-man midfield; usually one or two holding-style midfielders behind the key playmaker.

Barcelona's midfield is stacked, which is a bit of an understatement.  Their current roster includes midfielders Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Seydou Keita, Javier Mascherano and the recently-acquired Ibrahim Affelay.  That's not counting players currently out on loan or in the club's youth side.

The addition of Fabregas will give the Catalan club another versatile playmaking option for their midfield in addition to Xavi, Iniesta and Afellay.  However, those three are not old, run-down individuals.  Xavi, although 31 years old, is still well within his prime, while Iniesta and Afellay are only 26 and 24 years old, respectively. 

Just in like the Spanish national side, Fabregas will most likely be second fiddle to Xavi and Iniesta at Barcelona.  That's not taking into account having to fight for starts with Dutch international Affellay.  Plus, there is no chance of him displacing Lionel Messi or Pedro Rodriguez flanking the striker, especially since his skill set is better suited for the midfield. 

At Barcelona, he may be viewed as the long-term replacement for Xavi, but in the short scheme of things, Fabregas would probably only get starts against the lesser sides in La Liga and the Champions League.  Barring a long-term injury, there's very little chance of seeing a serious dip in form from Xavi over the next two or three years.

Now on the Gunner side of the equation, Arsenal has coped well when Fabregas has been injured, but they are a much better side when he is in the lineup.  It's hard to see the difference in terms of goals scored and what-not, but here's how I see it.

When Fabregas is in the lineup, the two holding midfielders are able to hang back more and protect the the back line.  He also allows the lone striker to very rarely track back for the ball, while the flanking attackers hold the wings and switch up on regular basis in order to exploit man-to-man marking by the opposing team's defense.  This is a result of Fabregas' amazing passing range and vision, some of the best in the Premier League in recent years.

However when Fabregas is out of the lineup, the holding midfielders usually have to play up a little higher because the players that have filled in for Fabregas recent weeks—Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere—just don't possess or have yet to develop a similar passing range.  When the opposing team regains control of the ball, the midfield has to track back more, and over the course of 90 or more minutes, that's going to wear them down. 

Simply put, when Fabregas is in the side, it's easier for Arsenal to hold onto the ball and move it around the field effectively.  When he's out of the side, Arsenal may have no difference in terms of possession, but the ball is not moved around the pitch as well, which forces the side to run a lot more than they are used to.  Arsene Wenger's pass heavy system just works so much better when a player of Cesc Fabregas' caliber is on the field.

The Transfer Will Be Big, But Complicated

Personally, I find this the biggest reason for why Fabregas will be a Gunner at the end of the summer, maybe even till the end of his current contract.  Now, Fabregas is currently under contract with the club until 2014, so that means that any deal that Arsenal and Barcelona strike needs to compensate the Gunners immensely.  The more time left on a current deal combined with player value equals a larger transfer fee.

The last bid made by Barcelona was somewhere between £35 million to £40 million (around $57 million to $65 million at the moment).  That's big money, but we're seeing players of similar, sometimes even lesser, caliber going for £50 million (around $80 million) during the recent winter transfer window.  Therefore, it's safe to assume that Barcelona will have to up the ante.

Barcelona should have no problem matching whatever fee Arsenal places on Fabregas' head (£80 million the last time I checked), but the Catalan club may try to offer a player along with a smaller monetary sum.  However, unlike most American sports, such player-for-player (cash included or not) swaps are very rarely seen in club football outside of North America.

First of all, you have to take into account what Barcelona can offer in terms pf player personnel.  The most likely candidates would be Sergio Busquets, Pedro Rodriguez or Gerard Pique.  They're all young players proven at both the club and international levels that Barcelona will probably have no problem parting with, but none of them would be direct replacements for Fabregas at Arsenal.

The other problem is that along with acquiring a player who cannot replace Fabregas on the field position-for-position, they will be receiving a player who will have to adapt to the English game as well as not necessarily being too happy about a move up north. 

Pique has a little Premier League experience from his time at Manchester United and would bolster Arsenal's defense, but he's not Fabregas.  Busquets and Pedro would probably pick up Arsenal's system in no time, but they're not Cesc Fabregas.

Combine these factors with other problems like the big wages, buyout clauses and work permit issues, and at the end of the day, Barcelona is better off trying to table as big an offer as possible and hope that the Gunners have a big enough pool to swim in all.

Fabregas Will Do What's Good for Fabregas

However, Arsenal will do what's good for Arsenal.  Retaining their club captain is key to them staying competitive in all competitions in the near future. 

Fabregas is the only player on Arsenal's roster right now with over 200 appearances for the club.  Losing a player like that won't cripple the club, but with such a young bunch of promising talent, such experience on the field is crucial to competing with rival clubs with more experienced talent.

At this moment, Arsenal is still alive in the Premier League title race, FA Cup and Champions League. Even if they fail to come away with any silverware this year, they have a team in place that could be competitive for quite a few years.

The team is built around Fabregas right now.  Arsenal may be able to find a more than competent replacement in the transfer market this summer, but that could still set the Gunners back a year or two.

Hopefully, Fabregas chooses to at least see out his current contract with Arsenal.  Money is not an issue, since there is no wage Barcelona can offer that Arsenal cannot match.  All joking aside from earlier in the column, Fabregas staying with Arsenal is not only good for the Gunners, but the Premier League as a whole.

Too many players spur Premier League clubs' offers or leave England in favor of more "fair" playing conditions.  Acquiring and retaining top international talents like Fabregas will only help with improving the Premier League's image amongst the international playing community. 

Cesc Fabregas' heart may lie with Barcelona, but hopefully his head is thinking of Arsenal.

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