Arsenal Transfer Rumors: 10 Players To Buy with Cesc Fabregas/Samir Nasri Cash

Well, it's official. Cesc Fabregas is now a Barcelona player.

Sad as this may be, and I could not be more disappointed that we never saw the best of Cesc and that our best player is gone, it is nevertheless important to remember that no one player is more important than the club.

Ending the saga and selling the player is only one-half of the greater process of improving the team; we must replace Fabregas with an established player who can step in and fill the massive creative void left by the departure of the Spaniard.

Add on top of that the imminent loss of French playmaker Samir Nasri, who would ordinarily step into the "Fabregas role" in midfield, and Arsenal have some serious problems to address in the middle of the pitch.

The silver lining, though, is that with the £60 million received from the loss of those two players, plus the approximate £30 million that Arsene Wenger already had in his transfer kitty, there are ample resources to properly replace these two players and then some.

With all the needs that Arsenal have in other areas of the pitch, specifically depth in defence and the need to acquire one more striker to back up Robin van Persie, Wenger can use the departures of these two stars to make the whole squad better—and make a run for the title.

Thus, I humbly suggest to Le Boss 10 players that could be bought, in some combination, to make the loss of two of our best players much easier to stomach.

Enjoy.

Gary Cahill

Ah yes, once again the name of Gary Cahill comes up in a list of possible Arsenal transfers.

We have to realize, though, that his name keeps coming up because he is a genuinely great centre-back who would greatly help the Arsenal defence.

Not only did Cahill win the most aerial battles of any player in the Premier League last season, he also possesses fantastic technical ability for a central defender. One only needs to look at his incredible strike against Queens Park Rangers for an example.

With a release clause of £17 million, Bolton will not be able to negotiate a higher price for Cahill because of our welled coffers, and there will be no lengthy negotiations. Nor will the fee be unreasonable considering our financial means.

Fantastic.

Phil Jagielka

While certainly not my first choice at centre-back, I have no doubt that Phil Jagielka would be a top-class addition to the squad.

I do not love Jagielka because he is not even 6'0" tall, and thus lacks the aerial prowess that Arsenal require. Plus, his injury record would be prohibitive, especially considering that Arsenal have much too many players made of glass already.

But he does add leadership to the dressing room, is tenacious and knows the English game very well. It is presumably for these reasons that Arsene Wenger has been chasing him during the past two summers.

After Everton rejected Arsenal's latest offer of £10 million, it seems as if Arsenal will have to offer closer to £20 million to get their man.

Please, Arsene, if you really want him, just pay a little extra for the player you want and get on with it. You can't argue that you don't have the resources.

Juan Mata

The perfect replacement for Cesc Fabregas in midfield. Who better to replace our departing captain than a fellow Spaniard?

Mata possesses the creativity and skill that was sorely lacking from the midfield in the match against Newcastle. His vision, flair and trickery would be invaluable, as would the added depth that the squad would have.

While Mata's release clause has jumped to unpayable heights, it does not mean that Arsenal will have to pay £50 million for Mata. If we propose Valencia, a club in some debt, a fee close to £30 million, they should accept. A reasonable fee is all it would take.

It is not easy to replace a player like Fabregas, who had the most assists in Europe during the past five years. But you certainly can try, and Mata is the best available option, along with...

Eden Hazard

He's admittedly one of the less-likely transfers on this list, but Hazard has nevertheless expressed interest in joining the Gunners and Arsene Wenger has publicly admitted that he admires the youngster, so the foundations for a potential move would appear to be in place.

Only 20 years old, Hazard would cost Arsenal a pretty penny, as his contract runs until 2015 and Lille will no doubt be desperate to hold on to their best player. And, well, there's also that matter of his outstanding ability.

Regarded as one of, if not the hottest prospect in Europe, Hazard has an incredible ability to create with the ball at his feet. Both quick and fast, only a few players in the world can match his dribbling skill.

Equally impressive is his ability to pick a pass and create for his teammates, which is obviously crucial now that Cesc is gone.

He may well cost £25-30 million, but he may well be worth it.

Radamel Falcao

Radamel Falcao is a player who simply knows where the goal is at all times, and whose only purpose in life is to make a ball hit a net as many times as possible. Coincidentally, Arsenal require exactly that type of player right now.

Which, it has to be said, is the only reason why Falcao is on this list. There has never really been any interest expressed by Arsenal, but perhaps Wenger will spring for a quality partner to Robin van Persie now that he has all this extra cash lying around.

The best thing about Falcao is his goal record, which is absolutely mental. He only needed 17 shots to score 16 goals in the Portugese Liga last season, and he scored an amazing 17 Europa League goals in 14 games.

A price of around £25 million? Sure, it's expensive, but a partnership of van Persie and Falcao would yield so many goals we would not even need a defense.

We should still be sure at the back, though, so how about making a run for...

Christopher Samba

As you can tell from this picture, Christopher Samba is a massive human being. I honestly believe that he could pick Chicharito up and throw him to the midfield line after a goal. Which is exactly why Arsenal need him.

Tall, strong and commanding, he's a leader. Samba really has all that Arsenal need in defence and would be a fantastic addition in the way of adding depth. He almost single-handedly salvaged a draw against West Ham last season, and could add that will to win to the Arsenal defence.

The one main criticism levelled at Samba is that he is too slow for Arsenal because we play a high line. I have seen this strategy falter many times, so how about just playing a slightly deeper line when Samba plays?

It certainly seems like a fair compromise, considering all of his positive attributes and his paltry £12 million price tag.

Anyone Not Named Scott Dann

Yes, we do need a defensive signing, but Scott Dann is certainly not the man to actually improve the team.

Is he better than Squillaci? Sure, my mother is, but that is not the point. Like Wenger says, we must look for super quality, and Dann certainly does not give Arsenal that.

One of Birmingham's brutes, he fits into their side well because he has absolutely no technical skill and relies on force to make tackles and retain his place in Birmingham's lackluster starting XI.

So, while I would love to see a defensive signing, please, Arsene, let it be anyone but the £6-million rated, injury-prone Scott Dann.

Per Mertesacker

You thought Chris Samba was massive? Well, you have obviously not yet seen Per Mertesacker.

Like Samba, Mertesacker is a leader, a dedicated player, a very skilled defender and he's enormous in stature. At 6'6" and with renowned aerial ability, Arsenal could kiss all their problems, from set pieces and high balls and Sebastien Squillaci, goodbye.

As with Samba, though, the one main criticism of Mertesacker is that he is too slow to cope with Arsenal's high line. Again, I say: play a deeper line when Mertesacker plays. You just might like it.

But he cannot play high up the pitch and distribute balls to the midfield! Yes, I know, but that is why God created Thomas Vermaelen. The Belgian would be the perfect partner to the gigantic German; the former is technically savvy and fast, while the latter is tough and brutish.

Do I see shades of a John Terry, David Luiz-like partnership? Yes. Yes I do. I also see shades of red on the ribbons of the Premier League trophy in May.

Scott Parker

The man with the best retro haircut in English football has fallen out of favor recently with the people who conjure up transfer rumors, but Scott Parker's name should still be mentioned as a possible signing for Arsenal.

Yes, I know he is 30. Yes, I know his technical ability is somewhat limited. And yes, I know he looks like he just stepped off a pitch in 1937. But Parker would not be a player who would be signed and put into the starting XI every week.

What Parker would bring to Arsenal would be experience and tenacity. There could hardly be a better player to mentor Jack Wilshere than his England teammate Parker, and the latter is perfectly able to do the dirty work in front of the back four that Alex Song is often reluctant to do.

A proven leader for West Ham, his stirring halftime speech to his teammates against West Brom last season was said to be truly inspirational, and Arsenal could frankly use a bit of that rousing spirit in the dressing room.

Wesley Sneijder

By far, he's the most ambitious transfer and the most high-profile player on this list. Unfortunately, knowing Arsene Wenger's insanity, there is probably no chance of Arsenal signing Wesley Sneijder.

But can you really think of a better like-for-like replacement for Cesc Fabregas than Sneijder? Exactly.

Sneijder is genuinely one of the best players on the globe. He is immensely skilled in dribbling, picking a perfect pass and executing ruthlessly powerful and surgically precise free kicks.

He has shown his immense skill for the Netherlands and for Inter Milan, where he has unfortunately been relegated to a more defensive role. But, liberated from his Italian chains at Arsenal, who knows what havoc he could wreak upon the Premier League?

Best of all, a world-class player like Sneijder, who is in his prime at 27 years old, could be had for as little as £35 million, and Inter are actually willing to sell him.

That means a perfect replacement for Fabregas could be had for the same price as the departing Spaniard, costing Arsenal no extra money and keeping with the essential Gazidian principle of living within one's means.

Available at a price as fantastic as that, and considering Sneijder is an experienced world-class player, the Dutchman could certainly partner with a few other players on this list to lead Arsenal to success.

And lead Arsenal fans to forget that Spanish midfielder and that French bloke fairly quickly.