Category Archives: Features

[Vote Here] Will Cesc Be Joining Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea or Manchester City?

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With Barcelona confirming that Cesc Fabregas is no longer wanted by the club and are willing to sell him for £30 million, the next question is not when he will be leaving but for which team?

Cesc is reportedly looking to move back to the Premier League and with a player of his calibre, it’s unsurprising that the four English clubs he has been linked with are Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City.

But which club do you think he’ll be joining? Arsenal have money to spend, Manchester United have given Van Gaal a war chest to rebuilt the Red Devils and we all know the money Chelsea and Manchester City have at their disposal.

I suppose the main question is how loyal is Cesc Fabregas? Because in terms of possible wages we would finish bottom of that list. Manchester City and Chelsea pay mega wages and Manchester United are keen to secure a big name signing to appease the fans.

So which team do you think Cesc will sign for and why?

You can vote below and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

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Why Arsene Wenger MUST Bring Cescy Back To Arsenal This Summer!

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Today Sky Sports News had breaking news about Cesc Fabregas – that he was reportedly no longer wanted by Barcelona and the Catalan club have apparently told Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal that he can leave for £30 million (via The Telegraph).

It has been widely reported that Arsenal have first refusal on Cesc Fabregas, which was a clause we insisted on when we sold him to Barcelona in the summer of 2011.

After 6 seasons in Arsenal’s first team where he only has an FA Cup triumph to show for it, Fabregas has been pretty successful in Spain. Since leaving Arsenal he has won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa twice, the Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup.

Unfortunately for Cesc, he joined Barcelona as they were in decline. Before he signed they were undoubtedly the best time in the world, winning the Champions League in 2006, 2009 and 2011. They also won La Liga in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. From 2006 to 2011 Barcelona were unstoppable, but now they need to rebuild and Cesc isn’t part of those plans.

Fortunately for the team he will join however, is that Cesc is still only 27 years old. He’s had  3 seasons at Barcelona which will give him invaluable experience and would have made him an even better player than the one that left the Premier League in 2011. In the 3 seasons before he left he was the Premier League’s best midfielder by a country mile. He had assists, goals and tackles in abundance. Make no mistake, wherever Cesc ends up will be getting a world class player who will improve them tenfold.

And that is why Arsene has to bring Cescy back. It’s a complete no brainer. This is a player that dominated games when he was at Arsenal, a player who scored goals for fun. The only argument (which is a weak one) is that we already have enough midfielders. That is complete tosh. Wilshere, Arteta, Ramsey, Özil, Flamini, Diaby and Rosicky have all been injured during last season and have been missed at times during the campaign. And if we truly want to compete with the very best in the country and in Europe, then we need a very strong squad. And besides, having Cesc back at Arsenal would give the whole team and club (as well as the fans) a massive lift, without breaking the bank.

If Cesc was being sold for £50 million then fair enough but £30 million? Compare that to the fee we paid for Özil and it’s not even worth discussing. Cesc would probably make up a lot of his fee in shirt sales alone! I don’t know what the specifics were in the clause but it looks like £30 million would be the maximum we’d have to pay.

And what about the alternative? Frankly, it’s something we can’t even contemplate.

If, Arsene Wenger loses the plot and doesn’t sign Cesc, then the consequences would be disastrous. Imagine Cesc playing for City, United or Chelsea? Jesus Christ.

Apart from making our direct rivals much, much stronger, it would be devastating to see him wear something other than an Arsenal shirt. You have players like Samir Nasri, Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie and Ashley Cole who disrespected the club and you don’t really care about them moving on. But Cesc? That would be truly heart breaking.

Arsene, over to you.

What Do You Think Of Arsene Wenger’s New Deal?

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Arsene Wenger has signed a contract extension, taking his reign as Arsenal manager until the summer of 2017.

But what do you think?

There are some supporters who still remember the pain of 9 seasons without a trophy, and the stubbornness the boss seems to have over certain issues. It took a few years for him to realise that we needed a strong defence to compete for major trophies, he refused to sign a striker last summer and in the January transfer window – even when it was obvious we badly needed support for Giroud.

But then he’s won the FA Cup now. Is that enough for Arsene to deserve a new deal? He is the highest paid manager in the Premier League and I suppose the question I’m asking is does he deserve it?

Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

[Vote Here] Do You Want To See Cesc Fabregas Back At Arsenal?

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As usual, the same rumours about Cesc Fabregas coming back to England (and Arsenal in particular) go around the rumour mill. For the last two seasons he’s been linked strongly with Manchester United, while it’s common knowledge that we have a “first refusal” on him if he ever did decide to leave the Nou Camp.

But do you want to see him back at Arsenal?

My stance is that even though we have a lot of midfield players the fact is we need a stronger squad to compete at the top of the Premier League. Last season we lost Mesut Özil, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Mathieu Flamini, Abou Diaby (*chuckle*), Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta for varying periods during the last campaign. Adding strength to our midfield wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

The other factor to consider is that if Cesc does leave Barcelona (and I have a gut feeling he won’t) but if he did, then he would undoubtedly strengthen our rivals. If he went to Manchester United, Manchester City or even Chelsea, you can see that we would regret the decision not to get him back. He is most definitely still a world class player who has the ability to improve any team in world football.

So would you like to see him back at Arsenal? Or can you do without him? Maybe you think he’s lost it. Vote below and leave your thoughts in the comments section!

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Scott Thinks We Need At Least 3 New Players

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From Scott: What Arsenal Need Next Season

Hi there, well what a season!! So much promise and a bright future ahead. As far as the season went I have to say that without the loss of Ramsey & Walcott for a large part of the season I feel we would have closed the 7 point gap between us and eventual winners City. Apart from the obvious terrible away losses we suffered I feel the tactics we employed on those days effected the score line more than the actual performances.

So taking this into consideration I feel as a squad we are not far from a title winning one. There are some vital positions that need covering and improving. Firstly we need to keep the same numbers in the squad or increase them for the next injury crisis we all know is going to hit sooner or later. With the expected departures of Sagna and Fabianski we need a first team RB. We will also need cover for CB as Sagna was very capable cover there. We can not go through another season with only 3 CB’s. So straight away we need a RB, CB cover and a back up GK to challenge Szczseny. So 3 players to just keep us as strong as now. So how about improving and closing that gap well I feel we need a strong and world class DM. Arteta and Flamini have been great this season but in all honesty I feel a Bender or M’Vila type will greatly improve us.

Then there is the striking department. Giroud is brilliant but goes missing in the bigger games. To win the league and have a chance at doing better in the champions league we will need at least 2 strikers. I feel a world class player in the Benzema mould would be fantastic. Forget his poor performance in the CL final he is proven class. We will also need a plan b. I feel this player has to be the opposite of Giroud/Benzema and be a small, quick, behind the lines player in the style of Ian Wright. The closest I can find to this sort of player who is available and at a decent price is Loic Remy or Adrian from Atletico Madrid. Players we have been linked with in the past.

To summarise, I feel we will sign 3 players for the first team squad and maybe a loan GK or striker. With these additions I feel our trophy drought will not even stretch to 1 year. Keeping all our players fit or unavailable for short periods is vital but with the right additions we have the potential to go far.

The loss of Ramsey and Theo this season was a massive reason we weren’t closer to the top last season. In a lot of the big games where we lost by massive score lines, we didn’t have that one player with the pace to stretch games or get in behind. More powerful teams like Manchester City and Chelsea can suffocate us while teams like Liverpool had a lot more pace all over the pitch.

We do need another right back but I think Carl Jenkinson is ready to step up and fill Sagna’s large shoes (or boots). We should bring in an experienced RB who is happy to be backup for Jenkinson. I think we’ll also need another deputy central defender as I’d be surprised if Thomas Vermaelen stays on after being on the bench for the last few seasons.

I agree that we need two more strikers, as Giroud isn’t enough to win any domestic league and has limitations. I don’t think Karim Benzema is the solution though. If we’re going to spend £30 million plus on a striker then it needs to be someone better than Benzema. He’s not world class and isn’t good enough to fire us to the Premier League title. Loic Remy though is someone I’d like to see at The Emirates – he’s quick, an excellent finisher and would be available for around £8 million which is an absolute steal. He’s good enough to be the main striker and wouldn’t mind making way for Giroud now and then, and could even partner the big man when required.

With Sagna, Fabianski and Bendtner leaving (don’t laugh) the squad will be a bit light on numbers and we will need a goalkeeper, a couple of defenders, a midfielder and two strikers. Will we get those? Probably not as Arsene isn’t the type to spend huge money on several big signings but I believe (well hope) that we need to buy 3 quality signings in defence, midfield and attack. I think that Arsene will supplement the other positions with young signings or free transfers.

We need strengthening in the summer if we’re going to compete and Arsene needs to make sure he recruits the right players. We know he has World Cup commitments but hopefully he has his phone with him at all times!