There’s been a lot of mumble about Cesc Fabregas recently. He uncharacteristically spoke out regarding his unhappiness as a bit-part player at Barcelona, leading to a lot of talk about whether he might make a return to Arsenal ( he has said the only club he’d leave Barca for is Arsenal).
There have been those who are desperate for his return, still harbouring love for him, those who despise the man and don’t want him anywhere near Arsenal, and those who are somewhere in-between the two.
Are all sins forgiven?
We’ll run through exactly how Cesc Fabregas came to leave Arsenal for Barcelona. After being tapped up by Barcelona players like Andres Iniesta and Xavi at the World Cup, as well as having Pepe Reina of Liverpool force a Barca shirt over his head, he asked Arsene Wenger if he could move to Barca.
Barca backed this up with a large bid, that was rejected by Arsenal. He was then convinced to stay for at least another year, then signing a huge contract extension for five years, and stating his long term future was at Arsenal.
He had another excellent season, marred by a few things. There was the backheel against Barcelona in the Champions League that was so poorly placed it almost seemed like an assist for them. Then there was his insistence on playing despite being injured, followed by his complaints that he was “stagnant from playing all the time” at Arsenal. Because you know, starting every game isn’t something world class players do, is it?
He then started pressing for a move to Barcelona, refusing to go on Arsenal’s Asia tour, feigning injury and going on strike to force the move. Eventually he paid off part of his Arsenal contract himself to force Arsenal to accept a lower bid from Barcelona, and got his wish. He enjoyed a great first season at Barcelona, but things seem to have turned a bit pear-shaped for him.
From one extreme to the other
Despite his achievements, Fabregas has only played the full 90 of 9 out of 41 league games at Barcelona. He’s out of form at the moment, and is clearly frustrated on the pitch. From playing too much, he’s now upset that he’s so often on the bench (even though he’s joined now by Alex Song). In reality it all seems bit ungrateful and whinging.
Arsene Wenger may not mind.
It’s well known that Arsene loves Cesc. Not surprising really. There’s a strong case for him being the best player to ever play for Arsenal. This is a man that broke into the Invincibles aged 17, and forced them to change their style just to fit his incredible talents. He was the focal point of Arsenal’s “Project Youth” side. It’s no suprise that when he was sold, Wenger demanded a 30m first option to buy clause if Barcelona ever chose to sell him, which in all honesty is unlikely.
“I came here to see out my career, but if the boss wants me to go, I’ll go. I won’t make it easy for him though”. A mixture of commitment and non-commitment there, but I think Cesc will get over his issues.
Do we need him?
This may sound silly, but it’s a serious point. Arsenal were reliant on Cesc when he was there. They were. It’s no surprise that goals and assists have been far more evenly spread out now he’s gone. With the addition of Santi Cazorla, Arsenal have more creativity, but within a team basis. Santi won’t be the star player like Cesc, but an important cog. Arsenal are building a team, not a collection of people to go with a star. A player of Fabregas’s calibre makes it so that everything goes through him, and teams are reliant on him. He would take Arsenal backwards, quite possibly.
Of course, Santi could move to the wings and Fabregas could form a super-possession pivot with Arteta and Wilshere, but even then he’d be the main man again. And Arsenal don’t need that anymore. They’re a team now.
Maybe he will come back. Maybe he’ll apologise for his behaviour, and be forgiven. But don’t assume that because an Arsenal star has come back to the team, the team will be better.
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