Cesc Fabregas was quoted by a magazine saying that Arsenal have little chance of winning a major trophy in the “near future.” He later denied the comments on Twitter. Cesc also opened the door for a possible return to the Emirates some day.
Fabregas allegedly said this to Sport magazine in Spain: “I want to be at a club that is able to win the big titles year after year and I don’t see that kind of future for Arsenal. I fear that they won’t be able to push the other big clubs in England away.
“If you look at the team this season I can’t see them finishing in front of teams like Manchester United or [Manchester] City, or Chelsea. There’s just too big a difference between the squads. I respect that Arsenal don’t have the same financial opportunities as the others, but it was part of my decision to leave that I find it hard to see Arsenal winning the Premier League or Champions League in the near future.”
I hate when recently-transferred players start talking about their former club. Anti-Arsenal comments have been spewing from $amir Na$ri’s mouth since his move to Manchester City. I am finished devoting time and space to Na$ri, but I do have respect left for Fabregas.
Cesc, on Twitter, denied the interview with the magazine ever took place: “I want Arsenal to be succesfull as much as every single fan. Thats not why i left, it was never in my mind. AFC [...]
Arsenal announced today that they have reached an agreement that will send Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona. Arsenal will net around £35m from the transfer.
The move will be completed once Fabregas passes a medical in Barcelona and signs his contract, along with the usual legal and registration processes.
According to The Telegraph, Barcelona say they will pay €14.5m right away, with another payment of €14.5m in October. If Barcelona win two La Liga titles and one Champions League title in the next five years, €6m more will be given to Arsenal.
Arsenal must feel that Barcelona will accomplish these goals. Added all up, the offer could be worth £35m (€40m).
Cesc Fabregas has finally received his dream move to the Nou Camp. Here is what Arsene Wenger told Arsenal.com after the announcement.
“We have been clear that we didn’t want Cesc to leave and that remains the case. However, we understand Cesc’s desire to move to his home town club and have now accepted an offer from Barcelona. We thank Cesc for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him future success.”
Wenger surprised many on Friday, when he told the media: “I expect nobody to leave the club.” We now know that Arsene was lying to the fans and media during that much-anticipated press conference. Or maybe he just didn’t want to spark a panic.
The Gunners were not able to convince Barcelona to pay their asking price. It was believed that Wenger wanted £40m for his captain. The Camp Nou management remained stubborn [...]
Arsene Wenger said that the Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri transfer sagas “will be sorted out very quickly.” The comments come after reports saying that both players are close to moves.
Throughout the past few summers, Cesc Fabregas has been pursued by Barcelona. Samir Nasri, who refused to sign a new contract at the Emirates, is looking to join the cash cows at City.
Here is what Wenger told Arsenal.com: “That is completely the truth. We hope it will be sorted out very quickly one way or the other. We’ll know very quickly.
“The Nasri situation is stable.
“Again, it is very difficult to speak about possible transfers, but we are in a situation where we have to make decisions one way or the other. Ideally you want it to be sorted out before the season starts.”
Wenger said that there is no official deal yet for either Cesc or Nasri.
According to The Guardian, Arsene Wenger has given up the possiblilty of keeping Fabregas and Nasri. Wenger told chief executive Ivan Gazidis to hurry the deals through in order to get on with the season. Arsenal are expected to use the money they get for both players (around £60m) to pursue several players before the end of the month.
The Gunners need to remove these two distractions. Let Fabregas go on his merry way to the Nou Camp. And let Nasri fill his pockets at Manchester City. We only want players who are committed to the Arsenal.
Reports say that Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is very close to getting his dream move to Barcelona. Arsene Wenger is willing to accept less than his asking price.
According to just about every newspaper, Barcelona are centimetres away from signing Cesc. The reports initially came from Spanish media outlets saying that Arsenal were finally going to make a deal with Barcelona. Expect Fabregas at the Nou Camp by the end of the week.
The Guardian says the the Barcelona offer is £25.4m with possible addition payments of £5.3m. Also, with Fabregas ready to decline an Arsenal bonus of £4.4m, the offer could net Arsenal around £34.1m.
According to The Telegraph, Arsene Wenger is ready to back off of his £40m asking price and accept a bid of £35m. Everyone involved with Arsenal want the Cesc drama to end as soon as possible.
According to Daily Mail, “reliable Catalan sources” confirmed that an agreement will come soon. Arsene Wenger wants to move on and focus on the season.
So, how should we, Arsenal supporters, feel about this news? On one hand, the burden will finally be lifted. On the other hand, Wenger may have been bullied by Barcelona to lower his rating of Fabregas.
Once the official transfer is announced I will be relieved. This Barca situation has gone on for far too long. Cesc has been a poor captain of our club. It is time to move on with the squad.
Reports are also confirming that Nasri is close to a move [...]
Marouane Chamakh talked yesterday about the futures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. Chamakh finds the Nasri saga “strange.”
Here is what Chamakh told L’Equipe: “I think both of them (Fabregas and Nasri) are likely leaving the club. It’s a difficult situation for the manager.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of money for Fabregas or Samir. I think he [Wenger] is looking for their successors and he hasn’t found them. I think before letting them go he wants to find the players to replace them.”
Of course Wenger wants to line up replacements before he sells two key parts to last season’s squad. The Nasri saga seems to be about money and nothing else. Manchester City are not the most successful club, but they do provide a player with a lot of cash. If Nasri was interested in silverware, he would not abandon Arsenal for City.
Chamakh continued: “That’s my opinion about the situation. The problem is the season starts this weekend, and it’s even more difficult for us.
“I think in the situation the club was in, they could have let only one leave. Especially Cesc, he wants to leave for several seasons because he’s born in Barcelona. But Samir is now in a situation where he has one year left on his contract, so if they don’t sell him this summer he will leave for free at the end of the season.”
It is extremely obvious that Fabregas wants to go to the Nou Camp, but the whole situation [...]
Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri were picked for Arsenal’s squad to play Udinese in the Champions League qualifers. If either player makes an appearance on the pitch, they will not be able to compete in the tournamet for any other club.
Arsene Wenger will not yield to Barcelona and Manchester City. He will not be afraid to play his two stars if no moves are made by mid-August. Barcelona doesn’t want Cesc Fabregas unavailable for European play, and Man City certainly do not want a cup-tied Samir Nasri.
Expect both clubs to step up their efforts to sign the Arsenal players. Barcelona, so far, have been unwillingly to meet Wenger’s asking price of £40m. Arsenal want Manchester City to pay the full £22m for Nasri, instead of making addition payments at a later date.
I fully expect Nasri and Fabregas to leave the Emirates. Both players want to leave, and there is no reason for Arsene to hold onto players who do not value being a Gunner.
Arsenal have been forced to pressure Barcelona by putting Cesc in the squad. Barcelona has been wasting the summer by submitting sub-par bids. Now, they are even asking Fabregas to refuse an Arsenal bonus and accept a pay cut.
City should not have a problem paying the £22m in one package. And Arsenal will have to accept the offer, or lose Nasri next summer for nothing. According to reports, Nasri will not discuss signing a contract to stay with Arsenal.
Arsene Wenger said yesterday that Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas will miss the start of the season due to mysterious circumstances…
Cesc was surprisingly left out of the Arsenal squad to play Benfica on Saturday night despite training with the team all week. It was expected that Fabregas would play his first pre-season match in Portugal, but Arsene Wenger said that his skipper will miss the opening of the season (telling Arsenal.com):
“I don’t think Fabregas will be ready to start the season. He has been out for a long time and has had no games.”
These telling comments from Wenger came after he told the media this about Cesc: “I do not want to speak about the transfer of Fabregas because I have done that for three years now in every press conference, so I don’t think there is any more need to add something. I love Fabregas and I want him to stay. He is just coming back from injury and is not ready to play in a game. But he is not injured.”
If Cesc is not injured, then why can’t he play a few minutes against Benfica? Something seems suspicious.
Barcelona must be close to meeting Wenger’s asking price. They have already offered the Gunners £35m for Fabregas, but Arsene wants his £40m. It is possible that Cesc refused to play in this friendly match, and Wenger wanted to keep the situation out of the news.
So, no Fabregas for the start of the season because he is not match-fit. But Wenger [...]
Arsenal majority shareholder Stan Kroenke was in London yesterday to discuss Cesc Fabregas. Barcelona are desperate to buy Fabregas in the next eleven days.
According to Daily Mail, American Stan Kroenke was at the Emirates Stadium yesterday for members day. Kroenke was also in London to talk with Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis regarding Fabregas.
Barcelona have reportedly submitted a £35 million offer for the Gunners’ captain, but £5m of the fee is add-ons. Not to mention Cesc will have to take a pay-cut to help Barcelona pay his transfer fee. Arsene Wenger wants £40m for the Spanish star.
According to The Independent, Kroenke supports Wenger’s price for Fabregas. The American owner will let Arsene hold firm with Barcelona at £40m. Barcelona will either have to pay up or leave Cesc alone.
Andreas Iniesta had not yet decided to leave Arsenal and Fabregas alone, telling ESPN: “We have said it many times before. We would be thrilled with his arrival. We are speaking about one of the best, but it all depends on the two clubs as well as the player’s wishes.”
Arsenal have basically set an 11-day deadline for Barcelona in their pursuit of Cesc Fabregas. In mid-August (17 or 18), the Gunners will play the first leg of their Champions League qualifier. If Fabregas features in the match, he will be unable to play for another club in this season’s Champions League.
Barcelona will be desperate to secure Cesc before Arsenal begin the qualification. Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri will be suspended [...]
Cesc Fabregas will be included in the Arsenal squad that will play Benfica on Saturday. This match could be the first for Fabregas this summer.
According to The Telegraph, Cesc will take part in Arsenal’s final pre-season fixture in Portugal at the weekend. Fabregas is frustrated to not have a Barcelona deal complete. Barring any major news, expect Cesc to play.
Arsene Wenger has not yet given up on his captain staying with the club. Wenger has made it clear to both Cesc and Samir Nasri that they must participate in club events and matches as long as they are still employed by Arsenal Football Club.
Fabregas accepts that he must contribute to the Gunners until a deal is done. Cesc has shown some responsibility during this process, unlike fellow stars Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney have in the past. Despite his wishes, Fabregas has not yet publicly demanded a move from Arsenal.
But, according to Daily Mail, Fabregas may use this friendly match as tool to force Arsene Wenger’s hand. Fabregas wants a deal done and may sit out the match to help facilitate his move to Barcelona.
Remember how Cesc walked out of the Arsenal-Boca Juniors match at half-time. Cesc may have pulled this stunt to show Wenger that he is no longer committed to the club. Do not forget that a phantom hamstring injury kept Fabregas out of training until recently.
We will have to wait until the Benfica team-sheet is released by Arsenal. That will tell the real story…
Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said that his club will “respect” Arsenal during the Cesc Fabregas negotiations. We have yet to see this “respect” shown toward the Gunners.
Here is what Zubizarreta said: ”We need to be respectful of the team Cesc belongs to. We won’t comment on the Fabregas negotiations. There will be time for that in the future.”
Is the Barcelona sporting director the only person at the Camp Nou who believes Arsenal deserve respect? It seems that way after many of the Barca players have publicly recruited Fabregas. Even politicans in Barcelona have joined the fight to capture Cesc from the Emirates Stadium.
Xavi recently told ESPN: “Cesc is a footballer who would come to add to this squad. Fabregas is a player that, if he comes, will help us play in different ways. He has the final pass on him and he can score too. He grew up here with Barcelona. He would adapt perfectly to our style of play.”
Xavi’s comments appear innocent at first, but he has relentlessly pressured Fabregas and Arsenal through the media.
The most vocal Barcelona PR men so far have been Xavi and Gerrard Pique. Xavi famously said that Cesc was “suffering” at Arsenal, and has repeatedly obsessed about the Gunner captain. Pique, along Puyol, famously pulled a Barca shirt over the head of the unsuspecting Fabregas.
The Catalan mayor claimed that Cesc “is experiencing a kidnapping” at the Emirates. The Catalans believe that every Catalan player should be obligated to play at the Nou Camp. [...]
