Still bank holiday here, still quiet in the world.
Yesterday I talked about Cesc and what I would do if I was the man making decisions for the football club. As well all the other stupid stuff I’d invariably think of, bringing Fabregas back would be a no-brainer for me for all the reasons I outlined in yesterday’s post.
However, you might have noticed down the years that what I would do and what Arsene Wenger actually does are two very different things. In January 2009 I would have strengthened our defence, Arsene bought Andrei Arshavin who the eagle-eyed will spot is not a defender.
Last summer I would have most certainly purchased a striker of some variety, Arsene brought Flamini back then splashed out on Mesut Ozil. So, without wanting to disappoint anybody, the question really isn’t what I would do or what you would do. Even if it seems logical to us on every level, the way we think about things and the way the manager thinks about things are very different.
At this moment in time I would be massively surprised if we brought him back. I believe 100% that he is available this summer – which is why we’re talking about it. This information has been made public as part of the process of finding him a new club but, I don’t think that we’re going to do anything about it, unless something changes quite dramatically. I think if there was concrete interest from us, the whole situation wouldn’t be playing out so publicly.
Obviously I have no idea what our plans are for other positions this summer. Like everyone I’m thinking back-up keeper, right back, centre-half and a striker are the obvious positions we need to strengthen, but it does seem as if there’s no room for Cesc at the Arsenal inn, which means one of two things:
1 – This could all be brinksmanship about a new contract at Barcelona who I still maintain would be bonkers to let him go.
2 – He’s going to end up somewhere else and if that somewhere else is in England it’s going to be a huge disappointment on many levels.
All the clauses and buy-backs in the world don’t mean a thing unless we actually want to re-sign him, and I don’t think Arsene Wenger is the kind of manager who would make a tactical purchase. By that I mean bringing in a player to prevent another club getting him.
We know he’s a manager who likes to concentrate solely on the quality of his own players and doesn’t worry so much about the opposition. And he’s also a man who tries to be as fair as possible to footballers. He wants them to be happy and to enjoy playing the game, and he’d rather see someone play somewhere else than be unhappy with us. Which isn’t to say Cesc would be unhappy if he joined, but only if he was wanted rather than a pawn in a greater game.
But look, we know how quickly things can change, and much can happen over the course of a summer in terms of a club’s transfer plans. Arsenal needed a striker for three months then bought a fine attacking midfielder, so you can’t rule anything out. It’s just that right now I wouldn’t be putting any money at all on Cesc coming home, sad as that is to say.
Finally, congratulations to the Arsenal Ladies who won the FA Cup final 2-0 yesterday. Showing the men how to do it. None of this going 2-0 behind after 8 minutes nonsense from them.
Congrats to all involved!
Till tomorrow.
