Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Losing Grip on Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri

A few weeks ago, with Arsenal supporters still transfixed by every word of stories about the Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri sagas, Arsene Wenger attempted to definitively end that of Nasri—the most irritating and incessantly annoying story of the summer.

Many supporters, including myself, openly questioned the wisdom of being so staunchly opposed to selling a player who is on the final year of his contract and can be sold for the very healthy sum of £20 million.

After all, this would be equivalent to taking in Nasri on a £20 million season-long loan. Many questioned whether this was a challenge to the board or simply Arsene's way of showing ambition.

Either way, it did not seem as if there could be any way that Wenger might swallow his pride after such strong comments and his succeeding row with Roberto Mancini.

However, despite all evidence to the contrary, it appears as if Wenger might actually be willing to let Nasri leave—or, at least more than he was just a couple of weeks ago. Speaking to Arsenal.com, the manager said:

"

“[It is] not completely [sorted that Samir will stay], but I want him to stay. He knows that. Hopefully we can sort that out in the coming weeks.”

"

There is a marked difference in Wenger's language here. Whereas he had previously said such definitive statements as, "He stays" and, "We will [say no]" with confidence, those concrete phrases have been replaced by uneasiness and insecurity.

We have already moved from, "Nasri is staying, and that is definite" to, "Well, we're really not sure of anything, nothing has been totally sorted out, and I hope for him to stay."

Especially contrasted with Wenger's earlier comments, his most recent statement is quite weak.

Perhaps more worrisome, this same unsure manner has also extended to the Cesc Fabregas situation as well.

Gone are statements like this one he made on July 11: "Yes [I expect Cesc to stay]. As simple as that."

Now, with our captain missing the trip to Germany due to a mysterious "muscular problem," Wenger is forced to say that it is a "'no comment' situation" and that there is no movement.

If Arsenal genuinely expected to retain the services of their two most skilled midfielders, Arsene Wenger would still speak with the same confidence and resilience that he did only two weeks ago.

There are only a couple of reasons for the sudden lack of confidence in the manager's statements.

The first is that Arsene never actually felt particularly confident about retaining the services of his midfield duo, and was just making those comments to win over shaky fan support or to get a little more money for the two maestros.

Though I do not wish for either player to depart, and I certainly do not enjoy being knowingly deceived, if we could get fair compensation for Fabregas and Nasri, their departures would be easier to take.

The second, and slightly less plausible reason, is that Le Boss was forced into negotiations, either by the board or by the offer of another club.

Such a scenario is highly unlikely because it would involve something tantamount to an admission of defeat from Wenger, and considering how much support Arsene has gotten from the board in recent years, it would seem fairly odd that they would turn on him at this juncture.

Whatever the reason, it is clear through analysis of how Arsene Wenger has changed his statements over the past couple weeks that he is quite unsure of whether Fabregas and Nasri will leave the club this summer.

One gets the feeling that the Spaniard is more likely to leave than the Frenchman, especially considering the phantom "muscular problem" that is supposedly keeping Cesc from traveling.

However, the sale of either player would severely hurt the club, and with Samir looking more and more likely to leave every day, the next season could be long one for these young Gunners.

And with Wenger's public stance on the future of his two key men growing ever looser, the ultimate doomsday scenario of Fabregas and Nasri leaving in the same summer looks to be a real possibility at Arsenal.