I'm only messing. I have no doubt you do watch a lot of footy. It just makes me laugh to see how many experts we have.
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I'm only messing. I have no doubt you do watch a lot of footy. It just makes me laugh to see how many experts we have.
From the last few pages on the Barca forum about Fabregas before and after the Athletico game.
"He'll play at Xavi's position tonight… Can't believe Tata makes once again this mistake. Cesc must make the best performance of his career tonight."
"Most of the time we lost important/big games, he was on the pitch and his performance was a disaster."
"don't want him to start this game."
"have you even watched last 2 games against Atletico ?
In the first game in the CL as soon as Cesc came of the field , I was shocked of how good we were playing. We looked like we could trash Bayern and Real with no problems. The moment I've seen on twitter that Cesc is going to start , again , vs Atletico in the second leg , I rushed to my local betting agency and bet 100 euros on Atletico to win "
"Problem is, when we put him in midfield position, next to Iniesta, he starts playing further up then any striker in the world. He just cant stay where he should be.
Cesc is not a CM, nor a CF, and we dont play with a player behind those two positions, closest is Iniesta and Iniesta is 2x as good at it.
So theres really no spot for Cescs playstyle in the team."
"Cesc is overshadowed by Iniesta in the dribbling, ballcontrol and speed department, and in the passing, playmaking and ballcontrol department by Xavi. He might be a little bit better at finishing and headers, but thats not really what we need him for."
And:
"Yeah, he's an AM, but Iniesta is just so much better. I'd prefer he be sold and Rafinha given more time, which won't be a problem with Lucho coming."
"He'll play at Xavi's position tonight… Can't believe Tata makes once again this mistake. Cesc must make the best performance of his career tonight."
"Most of the time we lost important/big games, he was on the pitch and his performance was a disaster."
"don't want him to start this game."
"have you even watched last 2 games against Atletico ?
In the first game in the CL as soon as Cesc came of the field , I was shocked of how good we were playing. We looked like we could trash Bayern and Real with no problems. The moment I've seen on twitter that Cesc is going to start , again , vs Atletico in the second leg , I rushed to my local betting agency and bet 100 euros on Atletico to win "
"Problem is, when we put him in midfield position, next to Iniesta, he starts playing further up then any striker in the world. He just cant stay where he should be.
Cesc is not a CM, nor a CF, and we dont play with a player behind those two positions, closest is Iniesta and Iniesta is 2x as good at it.
So theres really no spot for Cescs playstyle in the team."
"Cesc is overshadowed by Iniesta in the dribbling, ballcontrol and speed department, and in the passing, playmaking and ballcontrol department by Xavi. He might be a little bit better at finishing and headers, but thats not really what we need him for."
And:
"Yeah, he's an AM, but Iniesta is just so much better. I'd prefer he be sold and Rafinha given more time, which won't be a problem with Lucho coming."
Unless my memory's failing me, Fábregas dominated Old Trafford and Bernabéu in CM playing next to Gilberto Silva before he was 20. He's a great CM who's just out of place at Barca.
35 million and 1 pound
£45m would be very high. If Barcelona are willing to offload we should try for low 30s.
28 years old soon, do not want.
Not for 45 million anyway, the Cescy ship has sailed.
Not for 45 million anyway, the Cescy ship has sailed.
No way known he'd go to United of Arsenal was actually interested.
I agree, unless we planned on sacrificing Ramsey's game to accommodate him. He could only play the Arteta role in this side.
Tbf, there's not too much point worrying about whether fans of a club that has Iniesta and Xavi want him to start in midfield for them.
How 'bout you take Cesc home, and we'll take Ramsey off your hands to alleviate you of that predicament? Think about it, it could work very well. (For us)
He's 28 next year
27-29 is the prime for a footballer, Fabregas is a very good one too. I wouldn't turn him down.
For me his price shouldn't go up, if anything it should have gone down after his spell at Barca.
Fabregas is my muppet summer wet dream, would love to see him here!
Agreed with you. If we don't have Mata, I'd be all over Fabregas as advance CM. When we're ready to spend 45m, we have to be sure where he's going to play, and he's better be an absolute starter.
I think around £35m/€40m would be about the right price for Fabregas, now that he's 27 years old. Don't Arsenal have first option on him for €30m?
Truth be told I wouldn't want Fabregas here at the expense of Ramsey. Midfielders that can do what he does are a rare breed.
I really think this will happen. Think it was closer than people think last year, and I think it was the fact that the new Barca manager came in, and it was his decision to keep him. Barca have had a terrible season by their ridiculously high standards and I think he'll be one of the causalities of the new broom.....Ironically, he might be replaced by one of our many targets so we may end up with him by default.
If he leaves Barcelona I think he'll go back to Arsenal. They have a first option on and with their FA Cup win he might be convinced that they'll be challenging for the title next season.
Indeed. The club must have had encouragement for him or his agent to follow up with a serious bid.
The Arsenal link is being overplayed for me. They dont need a midfielder as much as they need a forward and we would probably pay him far more. They dont like breaking their wage structure - as has been seen with Sanga.
People really don't understand this first option clause...
I don't think he's a CM at all. Needs a top holder and tackler beside him to make it work, which we don't have. I think the Barca fans hit the nail on the head by saying he shouldn't play because he's just an inferior Iniesta. If we signed him he'd be competing in the one position we are strongest in.
People say the same about Kroos but he's much more suited to sitting deep and dictating play. Kroos has a positional awareness and calmness when being closed down that Fabregas doesn't have, and Fabregas's ability to take the ball forward and slip passes through isn't really suited to what we need. Both would obviously be a big upgrade on what we have and both would need a strong partner when against top opposition but Kroos is just much better as a deep lying playmaker IMO.
Doesnt it mean that if Cesc receives an offer from another club Arsenal will be notified and given the opportunity to bid for him at the same or higher price?
If Arsenal get Cesc can we get Ramsey?
Only I fail to see why they would need both.
Only I fail to see why they would need both.
Exactly, its not worth the paper its written on, all it does is officiates what the players agent should be doing, it pretty much brings no benefits whatsoever and there's serious questions as to whether its even enforceable.
If Barca want to sell Cesc they have to offer him to us first at 30m euros, if he wants to sign its a done deal.
Again buy back clauses aren't exactly enforceable, essentially if barca want to hold out for more then they will.
Depends on how they are worded and Mr Gazidis hired some very expensive lawyers.
That's not first option, that's a buyback clause, at a set, rather low, price. Hard to believe Barca would have accepted something like that.
He's still a quality midfield player. There's no way he'd be sold for less than 35 million.
I'm not denying that at all mate, but he hasn't done anything at barca to suggest why his price should go up. He's older, been benched a lot of the time and yet all of a sudden they want more for him?
They never thought for a minute he would be sold, hence it was a negligible concession.
If Cesc is moving anywhere this summer, and I highly doubt it, it'll be back to Arsenal not us.
All well and good but it's not exactly a fact that Arsenal have a set buy back clause.
Is this real life ? Are people actually arguing that we shouldn't pursue Cesc (a prototype English central midfielder) because we have Mata ? Are we arguing against signing a top top shelf footballer despite having a midfield of Carrick, Fellaini and Cleverley ? Did I even read some post comparing him to Andow ? The dude Fabregas has perhaps the greatest pedigree of any midfielder to have graced the Premier League bar Scholes and Keane. His accomplishments as an individual are second to no other midfielder not named Xavi and Iniesta in the last 10 seasons of football :
16 year old : Wins U-17 World Cup. Wins Golden Ball as best player in the tournament. Silver Ball ? David Silva not too shabby a player himself. Wins Golden Shoe as highest goalscorer from freaking midfield.
17 year old : Wins U-17 Euro Golden Ball as best player in the tournament.
19 years old : Wins Bravo award for best young player in Europe. No not the shit Golden Boy that Anderson won. Other recipients of the award ? Hmm Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Ryan Giggs, El Fenomeno, Marco Van Basten, Paolo Maldini, Pep Guardiola, Gianluigi Buffon etc etc.
19 years old : Named into UEFA Team of the year.
19 years old : Scores 15 goals from Arsenal from midfield.
19 years old : Plays in World Cup for Spain's packed midfield.
20 years old : Awarded PFA young player of the year.
20 years old : Cited in PFA team of the year.
20 years old : Scores 23 goals for Arsenal from midfield.
21 years old : Starts in Spain's EURO triumph.
21 years old : Named in EURO team of the tournament.
I could go on and on and on waxing lyrical about him. Let's just stop at 21 because I'm too tired right now to type much more. Are people actually holding Arsenal's trophy drought against him ? They had a few really good players at the time - Henry, Van Persie etc. Should we have rejected them out of hand because they didn't win much at Arsenal ? Also granted he started in AM for Arsenal towards the end of his tenure. But central midfield was where he earned his stripes putting in performances against Keane, Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard, Makelele, Essien, Ballack and the like at an extremely young age.
Of course Barcelona fans want him out but who cares about their opinion ? They are a mostly spoilt, bratty bunch who are still bumhurt by Cesc's alleged "betrayal" when he "defected" to Arsenal at 17 rather than waiting on for first team opportunities. The same happened with Thiago and Pique (initially). He looks out of sorts at Barcelona because he's not suited to their style of football. Despite being brought up with their philosophy he's ideal to counter attacking football. The same happens with Mata in the Spanish national team where he's overlooked because he takes a more direct route rather than pass the ball around for like a squillion times.
Anything around 35 even 40 million would be a bargain for a player of Cesc's stature. He's just 27 and still has atleast a good 4-5 years to offer. Cesc + quality DM = midfield sorted. He has nothing left to prove having performed at highest level for 10 seasons now. He's won almost everything worth winning in football. Also no WUM he's always been better than Kroos, Carvalho whatever and even if he retires right now he will always be better than them. (yeah I said it).
16 year old : Wins U-17 World Cup. Wins Golden Ball as best player in the tournament. Silver Ball ? David Silva not too shabby a player himself. Wins Golden Shoe as highest goalscorer from freaking midfield.
17 year old : Wins U-17 Euro Golden Ball as best player in the tournament.
19 years old : Wins Bravo award for best young player in Europe. No not the shit Golden Boy that Anderson won. Other recipients of the award ? Hmm Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Ryan Giggs, El Fenomeno, Marco Van Basten, Paolo Maldini, Pep Guardiola, Gianluigi Buffon etc etc.
19 years old : Named into UEFA Team of the year.
19 years old : Scores 15 goals from Arsenal from midfield.
19 years old : Plays in World Cup for Spain's packed midfield.
20 years old : Awarded PFA young player of the year.
20 years old : Cited in PFA team of the year.
20 years old : Scores 23 goals for Arsenal from midfield.
21 years old : Starts in Spain's EURO triumph.
21 years old : Named in EURO team of the tournament.
I could go on and on and on waxing lyrical about him. Let's just stop at 21 because I'm too tired right now to type much more. Are people actually holding Arsenal's trophy drought against him ? They had a few really good players at the time - Henry, Van Persie etc. Should we have rejected them out of hand because they didn't win much at Arsenal ? Also granted he started in AM for Arsenal towards the end of his tenure. But central midfield was where he earned his stripes putting in performances against Keane, Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard, Makelele, Essien, Ballack and the like at an extremely young age.
Of course Barcelona fans want him out but who cares about their opinion ? They are a mostly spoilt, bratty bunch who are still bumhurt by Cesc's alleged "betrayal" when he "defected" to Arsenal at 17 rather than waiting on for first team opportunities. The same happened with Thiago and Pique (initially). He looks out of sorts at Barcelona because he's not suited to their style of football. Despite being brought up with their philosophy he's ideal to counter attacking football. The same happens with Mata in the Spanish national team where he's overlooked because he takes a more direct route rather than pass the ball around for like a squillion times.
Anything around 35 even 40 million would be a bargain for a player of Cesc's stature. He's just 27 and still has atleast a good 4-5 years to offer. Cesc + quality DM = midfield sorted. He has nothing left to prove having performed at highest level for 10 seasons now. He's won almost everything worth winning in football. Also no WUM he's always been better than Kroos, Carvalho whatever and even if he retires right now he will always be better than them. (yeah I said it).
His tenure at Barcelona doesn't tell the entire story about the kind of player he is. Every man and his dog knows he's playing 2nd fiddle to Xavi and Iniesta and is constantly being played out of position there. We're talking about a player who has shown since the age of 16 that he's a top Premier League player and has done that consistently before he left. He wanted to go back home and in hindsight, may have not been his best footballing decision; but make no mistake that if he returns to the Premier League he'll still be better than 98% of the other mids in the league. His price tag though...then it's a matter of how badly do you want him.
It's the best info we have, as confirmed by Arsene last year. I'd say it's 90% probable.
Wenger confirmed there was a clause. No more. I'd say it's unlikely there was a set fee and one lower than what was paid for him at that. The fact that no reports at the time of the transfer mentioned a set fee raises serious questions about it.
There's no point in having a buyback if you don't have a agreed fee is there? Otherwise you just get outbid.
A buy back gives a set club the option to match any bid. Without it Barcelona would have no obligation to give Arsenal that opportunity.
The people who forget what quality Fabregas brought to the table should watch a highlights tape of his last couple of seasons here.
The link ups with Van Persie, well, they were so good I don't even want to think about any prospect of it happening again as it'll only disappoint when it doesn't happen
You sold him for quite a low fee for his quality, so wouldn't surprise me if this buy back clause was fairly low. Like you said, they'd have never thought he'd want to go, or they'd want him to!
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