Arsenal Transfers: We Will Miss Fabregas, but Not Clichy or Nasri

It almost seems that the mass exodus at Arsenal is imminent, with Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy, and Cesc Fabregas leading the charge.

Although it would be a shame to see Cesc go after being committed to the Arsenal cause for so long, seeing Nasri leave wouldn’t be a major loss to the club.

Cesc, as we all know, has been linked with Barcelona for years, and it seems that he’s now ready to leave Arsenal, with the two clubs locked in negotiations over his transfer. Considering that Barcelona is his boyhood club and the best club in the world, one can’t fault him for wanting to join the 2010-11 Champions League winners.  

Nasri, however, is a different matter.

It almost seemed inevitable that he was going to be linked with the best clubs in the world after a great first half of the season. Although his star faded somewhat during the second half of the season, clubs are still looking for his signature.

Nasri's commitment to Arsenal has been questioned for a number of months now, after he failed to agree to a new deal with his contract expiring next season.

If Nasri is not careful, he may end up like Emmanuel Adebayor—as a hated figure among the Arsenal fans.

Nasri is a fantastic player and has many years ahead of him, and any club that signs him will be very lucky. With Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea bidding for the midfielder, Nasri looks set to leave the club and achieve his goal of joining a club that can challenge for trophies.

Clichy is a player that had a mixed bag of fortunes last season. Although he made great runs down to the wing and continued to support the forwards, his lapses in concentration on defence have been a worrying sight for the Arsenal fans.

He looks set to leave Arsenal for Manchester City and £7 million, and few fans would argue with that transfer or with Kieran Gibbs or Thomas Vermaelen as his likely replacements. The reason why I’d suggest Vermaelen at left back is because the club is being linked with Christopher Samba and Gary Cahill, and I would not mind seeing them—especially Cahill—partner Johann Djourou.

These are fairly worrying times for Arsenal fans, and although the club has been linked with Ligue 1 stars Gervinho and Eden Hazard, it may be facing more exits, with Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott linked with moves abroad. 

I would love to see more players linked with Arsenal—especially forwards to partner Van Persie up front, where the club will be lacking in real quality, should Nasri leave.