I have known for some time that I’d have to write this post. Probably ever since Cesc Fabregas arrived as a 15 year-old back in 2003. I ought to have prepared it and kept it on file, ready to go, like major media organisations do with obituaries. And yet, for some reason, even as the past week has made it clear his departure was imminent, I haven’t dared to start it. Patently, it’s because I didn’t really want to.
Tonight, however, reality hit home, as Arsenal confirmed through their official website that an agreement with Barcelona had finally been struck. Arsene said:
“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.”
The deal was done on Friday morning, though we’ve waiting till now to make any kind of official announcement – hopefully we’ve used the intervening period to make advances in spending the money we’ll receive for Cesc. On that note, there’ll be more from me on what Arsenal need to do to replace him later today, so stay tuned.
The fee has been confirmed by Sandro Rossell as being €29m upfront with a possible further €10m in add-ons. That’s an absolute maximum of £34.2m.
It is, of course, a steal. At the start of the summer we would have laughed off such a ridiculous fee. Now, it’s Barcelona who are laughing. Their disruptive tactics have won the day, and ultimately the player’s desire to move has seen us do a deal at a fee lower than that for which for Andy Carroll moved to Liverpool.
Aside from Barca’s antics, our negotiating position was weakened primarily by the fact that the race to sign Cesc contained just one Catalan horse. On the open market, he’d fetch £50m+, no doubt.
To be honest I don’t think the fee really matters. It’s almost entirely profit, meaning it even surpasses the ludicrous amount we made on Nicolas Anelka when we flogged him to Real Madrid. Whether he went for £30m, £40m, or £50m really makes no difference to me: he’s going.
Cesc is already in Barcelona and will undergo a medical tomorrow morning before being presented around 1230 UK-time. I will, at that precise point, be undergoing an operation in a dentist’s chair. Which promises to be less painful than having to watch him paraded.
There are so many reasons that losing Fabregas is a blow. He’s the club captain, and the heartbeat of the side. He is one of the world’s finest midfielders. And, for so long, he felt like one of our own.
Collectively, we watched him grow and develop from spindly prodigy to midfield maestro. I was there at Highbury when he became our youngest ever player against Rotherham in the League Cup. I was there when he became our youngest goalscorer, tapping in against Wolves. And I was there when he came of age in 2006, winning a duel with the grand master himself, Patrick Vieira, who by that time was playing for Juventus.
In his early years, Cesc lived with a club landlady, whose son is a friend of mine. To them – indeed, to all Arsenal supporters – he always felt like family. Inevitably, therefore, his departure feels like a rejection. Forgive the crowbarred analogy, but it’s a little like an adopted child deciding they’d like to go and be with their real parents. As much as we understand, it still hurts.
Whilst the pull of home is clearly a factor, one can’t help but feel a tinge of regret that Cesc is leaving earlier than any of us expected. Xavi is a long way from calling it a day, whilst the likes of Aaron Ramsey are not yet ready to fill the vacuum created by his absence.
He’s left, ultimately, because he no longer believes in the project. He wouldn’t relinquish the armband lightly. If he felt he could win trophies as captain of Arsenal, he would be staying for a year or two at least. Whatever anyone else tells you, whatever you read elsewhere, do not doubt that Cesc Fabregas loves Arsenal Football Club. Barcelona is in his blood, but Arsenal is in his heart. Sadly – and this will hurt Arsene enormously – he no longer believes that the team built around him with bear the fruit of trophies.
I can understand his frustration. His star has too often shone alone in Arsenal’s galaxy. The failure to sign the established players his talent deserved around him has cost him and Arsenal dear.
Now, at Barcelona, his potential seems destined to finally be fulfilled. When I hear pundits claim Cesc will warm the bench at Barca, I chuckle. Alongside the likes of Xavi, Villa and Messi, he will step up another gear. It pains me to say it, but I think Barca will see the best of Cesc. Whatever they ended up paying, it would have been a bargain: Fabregas is a Ballon D’Or winner waiting to happen.
He does, however, leave us with an awful lot of memories, including 303 appearances, 57 goals, and 98 assists. It’s sad that it ended the way it did, but when he was on the pitch for us I never doubted his commitment. I won’t be talking too much about Fabregas from now on – it’s important that the whole club moves on. Nor will the departing Samir Nasri be afforded a similar eulogy. But for now, for the sake of nostalgia, let’s end with some of Cesc’s finest moments.
The following video ends with an optimistic “to be continued?”. Sadly, it seems this love affair is, for now, over. It’s less “Cesc We Can”, and more “Cesc we could’ve”.
Farewell, El Capitán.
One trophy, as a spectator, nothing since. Captain or not, great player as he was, he brought Arsenal Football Club NO glory.
Enjoy the bench, Cesc. You deserve better but you made your bed, time to sleep in it.
erik
go and die,
sick cunt
Go support City you fuck. You sound like their type.
Erik u are a nutcase.Are u sure u not a spud?
haha wow, some of the replies to the main ‘reply’ are laughable.. if you morons have the ability, think about it… erik only spoke the truth.. cesc, good as he was brought no success, arsenal had no success during this period because the players were unable to go that extra mile.. so to react as you all just did shows you guys have no effing clue.. i bet you are the same ppl i recently saw in the news.. looting
RIP Project youth.
Good riddence Arsene Wenger.
2 more things soon to leave the Emirates.
another idiot…… be careful what you wish for idiot… ‘youth projects’ as you so soulfully moan about are the cornerstone of any great club. just look at barca. without one you are just another filler team in the league. so dont make some stupid comments
and in regards to all you arsene haters.. why dont you suggest who will do a better job.. sure he is frustrating.. but its not all down to him.. once he is gone you idiots will be begging for him to come back
sure we are suffering a dry patch.. but everyteam does.. man u went like 21 yrs without winning anything.. whats 6 yrs.. grow up and stop making stupid comments… and stop looting our streets
Nice piece GS – I particularly like the “Arsenal is in his heart” comment.
I also feel I’ve watched him grow quite closely. Key moments when I was in attendance at the ground include Rotherham and Wolves as you mentioned – I was so desperate to see him play again that I went to a Reserves match in between those games.
I was also in attendance when he helped Spain win the world cup. I was saying for about 45 mins that Cesc will win the match if he came on. He did but it was the moment I, and countless others, knew his Arsenal career was coming to a very quick and somewhat abrupt end. Despite the drawn out nature of the transfer it was over from the point – mainly for the reasons you have outlined sadly – though the player still largely acted as a professional.
Heartbreaking. I’ve seen it coming but now that it is official I am truly devasted. Don’t know what to say
Gutted that it has come to this. I hope Arsene has some quiet moments this evening to consider what has brought the club to this point and that he resolves to never let such a golden talent go to waste again through his negligence.
Arsenal had an opportunity to build a side around Cesc and never made the moves necessary to support him the way his talent so richly deserved.
The last sentence above is the best summary of his time with us.
I loved Fabregas and it really kills me to watch him go. If Wenger had built a better a better team around Cesc, today we’d be saying goodbye to one the most talented footballers Arsenal have ever and one who would have his place set in the history of Arsenal football club.
Instead his departure tragically spells the end of project youth- which promised SO very much but in the end delivered SO very little.
I too will soon stop mentioning Cesc because it does nobody any good. I just hope the c*nts at Barcelona appreciate what Arsenal FC have done for him and the Cesc himself remembers Arsenal once he has written his own name down into Barcelona folklore.
WE HAD CESC FABREGAS.
goodbye Cesc, you will be amazing in Barca, and if you visit emirates I’m sure you’ll get a big cheer!
Why are these dickheads saying Cesc will sit on the bench at Barca ? He’ll play loads of games!
Fuck the judas cunt and his pissy pants cry baby routine.
No heart, no fight, fuck the cunt, hope he breaks his legs.
dirk
please, suck up diaby, eboue and denilson –
they have hearts and the rest for you to feast upon
And as for Sanra from barca “confirming” how much he was sold for?
You think he will tell the world how much he cost? They arent beholden to PLC rules and regs so dont have to come clean with that shit.
Have to admit shedding a tear watching that video. So many memories. Will miss you Cesc. Sorry that Wenger failed to provide as you matured. Great post as always.
Cesc’s heart wasn’t with Arsenal for the past year. The tactics of Barcelona must have been very unsettling for him – not to mention the carry on by his new Barca team mates at the World Cup 2010.
I never thought I’d say this but Arsenal are probably much better off without an unsettled, uncommitted captain, whose heart is elsewhere. Arsenal need more than that.
Cesc must be disappointed that he didn’t win anything with Arsenal for the past 6 years but remember he was a big part of that team and in the season where we had most going for us (2010/11), Cesc didn’t really do much for us and seemed too distracted or injured or…. who knows?
Adios Cesc. let’s hope Arsenal will win big this season. Do it for Cesc!!
Spot on! hopefully the other players step up and win something (Chesc did not, remember)
Cesc is an enormous loss to this team whether we won things with him or not. I don’t want to be too negative, but I’m afraid we may not finish in the top 4 let alone win anything this season.
You really think that a player that would pay around 4mill of his own money to get out of a club ,has that club in his heart? you really need to wake up and smell the coffee
Great player but we won fuck all with him. Will have forgotten all about him in the morning.
With my eyes full of tears n my heart is bleeding ill always luv u, y did u left us, I don’t think I’ll watch football anymore specially after this video,, You will always be in my heart. Cant say except good luck but I can’t see u in another shirt
As much as it hurts to see him leave, the whole saga has gone on for long enough and I’m glad it can be put to bed. What aggrivates me is that it has taken this long. If Barca were never going to budge on there valuation why has it taken arsene and the booard so long to come too an agreement?? The whole thing is nothing more than Botty water. Thinking about it does the late sale give what wenger would concive as a ledgitimate excuse to not spend the money??? I hope not!
It’s a very sad moments for Arsenal fans. We love Cesc very much. But nothing can stoping him now. You deserved to go to Barcelona, as Arsenal had nothing to give you since you are here. But we all Gunners are going to beat Barcelona soon..! yes in the CL Final.. see you there Cesc Fabregas, Farewell…
Great post. Very heartbraking to see him go. We need to get this video retweeted so Cesc himself can see it.
…I’m genuinely worried for us this season. Where is the flair gonna come from? Wenger will have a tough time replacing someone of his talent.
Goodbye Cesc, truly saddening to see such a player leave this club, we forget sometimes some of the moments he has produced and the joy. But I will say this; He never once came out and told his pals at barca to stop disrespecting the club that made him and paid his wages, he never once came out to say that he wanted to stay and be a great at Arsenal. He has let this go on even through the start of the season. We won’t find a better player in his position. The next best thing is to re-think our game plan, a change in formation and tactics.
Maybe one day he decides Barca isn’t right for him and wants to come back ‘home’. Arsenal is his home. 8 years here, I doubt he will play at Barca for much longer than Arsenal. Oh well, I was a lot more saddened what Henry left but we carried on, time to step up and face the task ahead.
In Arsene we trust.
Merkan,
I don’t want to start anything here – we are on the same side after all – but I thought I should remind you of this:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article4213203.ece
Cesc did tell Barca to respect Arsenal a number of times and said he didn’t like Barca players mouthing off in the press.
Actully Whould be the one to leave. His project y has been a failure the last five years and yet he shows no sign he will modify it .Well this season coul be the one when the gunners are finally knocked out of the cl.If he doesn’t get the experienced players to improve the gunners but kids like Chamberlain and other wc potential cd,that’s it.
We fans are sick of his dithering just to save one or two million pound in tf.he has lost sight of the big picture and talks about about the unfair financial muscle the other teams have.
He should spend the money from Feb sale on a dominating cd.At least there will some improvement. If he clings to the od way ie one kid after kid another,that will be a recipe for another poor season.
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WE sign young players and we also sign older players. Only a clueless media fed moron would think we only signed kids.
The club has also had to operate with a massive financial burden hanging over it, without a sugar daddy like the chavs and the norvern monkey chavs. Now, we are seeing that burden easing, so the money should be available to sign players.
But even with this money, we will still be unable to compete with the obscene wages the northen chavs offer, even manu were shafted by the fat scouse granny shagger.
I have always known he would go but didn’t think it would hurt me this much
Christ, whoever made that video is a total bedwetter.
Soundtrack is like some sadface soap opera deathbed scene.
Moist.
Sad as it is to see him go, and as ridiculous as it might be to say this now that he’s gone, this would have been the year of fulfillment. Imagine the current squad with Cesc and a happy Samir, a healthy defense, Gervinho, and RVP on form, with Jack, Rambo, Ryo, AOC, Jenkinson et al off the bench. Presumably Arsene would’ve added even a few more pieces to strengthen weaknesses and depth.
This was to be the year that Cesc and Samir became the world class of our squad, along with RVP and Jack. Instead, they were the ones waiting for someone else to come in and win them trophies. Surround them with talent? They ARE the talent! Does Rooney leave because he has to play with Anderson? Or Jonny Evans? Or anyone else? No, because he takes it upon himself to make them winners, not the other way around. He lost Ronaldo and Tevez, who weren’t exactly replaced with world beaters, and he soldiered on. Cesc and Samir, and anyone else who chooses to go, do not have that same spirit, so I will look forward to Jack and other youngsters taking their places. Maybe we won’t finish as high this year, maybe we’ll finish higher. At least we’ll finish with players who are Arsenal to the core.
I find it somewhat ludicrous to blame Arsene for Cesc and Samir’s impatience when he showed them so much patience of his own. And I find it equally ludicrous to suggest that they did not want to play with a younger squad, seeing as how they wouldn’t have careers if it weren’t for Arsene giving them the chance and guidance to become who they are. They owed him, and the club, and they are leaving at the precise moment when needed most.
Now we move on, and we do it from a disadvantage because the original transfer money that could have been used to bolster the squad now must be used to rebuild it. It’s unfortunate, but it could not be any other way. Now we’ll have the money from Cesc and Samir’s sales to add multiple players for the long slog. We won’t “replace” Cesc, but we may actually end up with a stronger team. Time will tell.
I personally love our current squad, especially Jack, Szczęsny, Gibbs, Ryo, Rambo, TV, Song, Kos and the others who have so much to prove. I hope that the Cesc and Samir departures leave them with a chip on their shoulders, and I hope they drop it on European football like a looping open-handed Gervinho slap.
I don’t wish Cesc the Barca bench or Samir City obscurity. I hope they both become their clubs’ talismen, and I hope that we get the chance to beat them every year for the rest of their careers.
did you just associate the word ‘healthy’ with our current defence?
spot on !! I don’t think for a moment Fab has his heart and soul at Arsenal. A true hero doesn’t turn the other way when things gone bad. No, I marvel at his skill and all that but no, I don’t wish him all the best. Barca is already at the pinnacle of football so what’s to achieve ? The groundwork has been done for a long time and what else Fab can bring to Barca ? I feel angry because Fab is abandoning ship when we need another good pair of hands(feet) to carry us through the muddle. Please don’t blame Wenger for this, he might be too idealistic but definitely not a fool.
agree!!!
Really well said PM . Total agreement .He´s now yesterdays man as far as I´m concerned and we move on with renewed hope for the season.
Best post ever… Same doomers blamed Wenger for giving Cesc a chance and not replacing Viera sufficiently. The night’s always darkest before dawn. I hope all these gutless players leave.
…and we won f**k all under Cesc since.
and that was Cesc’s fault?
It was his fault for keeping Almunia in goal for 4 yrs? It was his fault for sacrificing the title in order to land Chamakh on a free? It was his fault for paying ManUtd for Silvestre? It was his fault for paying any sort of money for a player, a useless player like Squillaci? It was his fault he had to sorround himself with DROSS like Eboue, Denilson & Bendtner.
It was his fault he didn’t win trophies for Arsenal?
The AKBs are out in their droves. Welcome to kookoo-land!!!
Fabregas has gone and yes we lose a World Class player……but I blame him – well his arrival – for the 6 years of failure and for what we have now !. If Fab had not arrived and Wenger become so infatuated with his potential/ability, we would not have had the accelerated break up of the invincibles and we would not have had the complete change around in playing style to accommodate Fabs style of play. As soon as Fabregas became the central figure in our midfield our style changed from the team orientated, incisive, sometimes breathtaking attacking style which Henry,Pires,Bergkamp,Vieira etc had destroyed the premier league with. It is quite remarkable how you can pinpoint the exact moment.
Sadly instead of making Fab fit into that style (the way Ferguson does with all of his acquisitions to maintain the Man U way of playing and therefore maintaining their success) Wenger made the mistake of changing our playing style to try and fit around Fabregas and inevitably it failed!
No he leaves and we are in a vacuous position in that the hub of team/style has gone and now the players look lost and very ordinary …. there is no longer the ace in the pack to pick out the slide rule pass or magic moment. Without a very quick all round rebuild we will drift, I hope that the rebuild will be on the lines of the invincibles i.e. with a top defence built through class and lots of practice on the training ground, a classy strong, solid central midfield with wide players of pace and quality, and topped off with strikers who can kill an opposition single handedly! Sadly I am not sure Arsene Wenger has the vision to be able to do this – in fact I am convinced of it!
Fuck him. He made it impossible for Arsenal to get proper value from the transfer fee. No doubt that Wenger has cocked up the situation also but he hasn’t shown “love” of Arsenal.
Gracias por nada.
Can’t wait for those selfish little Catalan hamstrings to pop.
Would have thought the whole hleb going there would have shown cesc barca not all its cracked up to be ….any who , was a shit captain , very unproffessional the way he handled this , should be ashamed . at least pique xavi puyol got their little bum boy there , cesc can warm up their pants while their on the pitch. P.S NASRI YOUR A CUNT, FUCKING MERCENARY !
I don’t agree with your point that this is his rejection of Arsene and project Arsene.
I think he simply really wants to go back to live in Barcelona and play football in the team he supported growing up.
I suppose he also wants to go to heaven and polish the shoes of Barcelona legends so will he jump off a high rise building to get there? Betrayal. Simple as that.
Fuk him he played with no heart last season he’s dead to me
We really do have some terrible fans. Show some respect…..
If you grew up in London supporting Arsenal and played for Valencia, or some other spanish team that just managed top 3-4 for years you would jump at the chance if Arsenal wanted you to sign for them.
Much respect for Cesc, always gave his all and one of the best players to ever wear the shirt. Just a shame that Arsene never provided him with enough quality players around him for us to win things.
I wish him all the best.
It’s a worry for us to lose our best player and leave Arsene and with the sale of Nasri still to come we could be in big trouble as I can only see Arsene signing someone like Jadson to replace both players as he won’t want to ‘kill’ Ryo or Chamberlain.
3 major signings needed, or we could struggle this season.
I’m not surprised at some of the disrespectful comments. This is how low the club has come. Having inbred, dickheads and retards as fans.
The sale of Fabregas is the ultimate vote of no-confidence in Wenger.
The fans have lost faith in the negligent, incompetent manager and now the players have too.
Wenger’s position should be untenable and unlike with Cesc, I would not be sorry to see him go.
He will now become just another Flamini or Hleb or Nasri to me. It is, and never will be the players I support but the cannon they represented. So I may not wish you all the best at Barcelona, because from now on you are an opponent.
The only thing you get from me is a ‘thank you for the contribution, captain’
good read m8 im a scouse lad, one of the best players ive seen from visiting teams at anfield, hope you replace him with quality need you in the top four keep the fucking mancs out! The proper gooners out there will move on quick and throw there full support behind AW hes the right guy cesc wanted home i belive even if you would of won trophies with him over last 6 years he would of left anyway made no difference maybe im wrong???? p.s see ya next sat we gunna do ya
Heartbroken
He was a great player for us but let’s face it, he can’t stay healthy….if he’d had stayed he would be out until at least the end of the month…and undoubtedly pull the hammy again in a month or two. It’s better we move on, skip any hatred and not blame it on Wenger. He is choosing to join a squad that is one of the all-time greats which happens to be his boyhood club….he was going to leave whether we won trophies or not like when Ronaldo left ManU (and he won trophies). Don’t even think for a minute that it was a trophy thing.
It may not happen immediately but he will have regrets when the playing time isn’t there and he is 2nd choice. Let’s move on for crying out loud.
Terrible fans? We speak the truth! Arsenal spent years nurturing Fabregas into the player he is and now he’s at an age where he can really delirver for us and now he pushes hes way out the club. I understand he wants too play for the club he grew up with but he owes arsenal alot more than he has produced. He put in lack lustered performances in last season and showed everyone he was no leader to follow.
yes! he was not a leader but arsene chose him
We’ll live to regret that we did not surround him with more players of his caliber but instead force him to play with dross like Denilson, Diaby, Rosicky, and no out-and-out strikers that gets in the box for him to pick out everytime. (Van Persie is never a striker for me. More of an attacking midfield and too injury prone) With a clown defence and the most comical goalkeeper, you can’t blame him for being mentally tired because every time he does something right, you can bet that “Squid” and Alumnia will do worse ten-fold. I’ll be calling in sick every Saturday and Sunday if I were him.
Now we will see him be the final piece of the Barca jijsaw puzzle and win everything he deserved to. A player’s career is short and being the talent he is, his CV should be more colorful. Because seriously will anyone remember Alan Shearer in the next generation except the Toon fans?
Thanks brother John. Asernal nortured fabregas and made him what he is today. Now he has grown up and thinking that he can make it with asernal. He needs to remember that all those that left asernal in persue of money and fame, r all on the bench or regretting their moves.Maybe he should ask flamine or alex helb.
For those who think Cesc disrespected Arsenal – please remember this:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article4213203.ece
the video makes me sad. he didnt want to leave so soon, not without lifting a trophy at least. wenger forced him out. had our genius manager bought one decent signing every year in last 3 years, he would still be with us.
goodbye cesc and cescy football. thanks for the memories
Good riddance, at least there will be no summer distractions for youse and with proper re-investment, you’ll be soon back challenging for honours. Youse are a well run club.
(I say this only because I’m not an Arsenal supporter, and I can look at this objectively without emotional baggage)
Not much 2 sat but gud luck cescy!u were 1 of my all time favourites and alwayz will be,ANY true gooner should b garteful for all you giving to the club,no1 can blame you going 2 play in the best team EVER,but honestly that video above kinda got me tearing,what a sad farewl tho
but you know what i think we can have him back someday before its too late once he wins it all at barca!once again thank u Cescy!
I am so sad that fab4 is finally going home. what made me happy was his flair, the beautiful 1 touch passes ala bergkamp. everyone plz just remember we had one of the great playmakers of our generation. on the bright side jackwilshere really is blossoming quite nicely and will do well to help us forget about the cesc. will always love the genius that is francesc fabregas!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE&feature=relmfu
Another good player bites the dust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwKwLmgM&ob=av3e
AW will be saying don’t stop me now when it comes to project youth.
This sale better be a wake up call to AW to buy a capable defensive and attacking midfielder and mass sale players like Diaby.
I really really wanted to see Fabregas lead us to Glory. A very sad day indeed.
I guess Wenger’s words are true – “How can we be considered a big club if we sell our best players!”.
Arsenal are definitely not a big club anymore… (were they ever?).
That commute would KILL me. I hate vndiirg. I mean I really, really hate it. If I could get rid of my car altogether, I’d be a happy girl. The longest commute I’ve ever had was 30 minutes one way, and that felt like an eternity. I usually listened to audiobooks or public radio (oh my, I think I’ve just outed myself as a huge geek). I just couldn’t deal with hearing the same three songs over and over on the radio.
seriously can u blame him or nasri 4 wanting 2 go at barca fabregas will look across changing room n see xavi messi iniesta pique alves puyol villa who will he see at arsenal eboue bendtner a disinterested arshavin a half fit rosicky 3rd rate centre backs at barca he will av a chairman n manager who r willing 2 buy the best at arsenal a chairman who makes money from club but wiont reinvest n a manager who i strongly blieve is on cut of the money im sorry but our club stinks now i beg mr david dein plz cum home n save our club
Thank you for this amazing article, GILBERTOSILVER. I think you’ve captured every Arsenal’s honest emotions beneath the anger with all the drama. Not easy to do, invoking the deepest, buried feelings of near-depression in all of us.
So long Cesc, we wish you the best.
There is no doubt Cesc was a great player for us. But I cannot shake the feeling that he has forever sullied his reputation with us. We are a club in crisis and a club lost of all confidence and as Captain he should have stepped up. Instead he has left us when we needed him the most. He will get no cheers from me when he returns, because he now plays for the evilest of football clubs in the world. I refuse to wish him success, as a matter of fact I hope he doesn’t make it there. I know he will, he is too good not to. The positive though, is now we get to elect a captain worth their salt. Goodbye Cesc. You could have been legend at Arsenal but no longer.
VP.
And I hope he does make it and we meet them and give them a stuffing. Ryo having a hattrick. One can dream…
That is a true homage. I wept a little when I read this.
Just yesterday I’ve been walking around in my No.4 shirt all day and it felt so good everytime I had a look at the backside. To be honest, I am not a long-time supporter. Just since 2005. But to me, whenever I think about the Arsenal it’s always Cesc and Henry who spring to my mind. It’s always warm and happy memories.
I still would like to thank him for what he has been doing for us in the past 8 years. We really did see him grow up and like you said – he will be the winner of the ballon d’or one day. Farewell, El Capitan! May U have a long and successful career and maybe you’ll be back one day.
cesc? who is cesc? i already forgot about him…
look forward never look backwards and AW has acknowledged that the current AFC is becoming a feeder club and he is concerned about it and by selling cesc the new era is here.
the new and greatest era has just begun!!! trust me
by selling cesc and nasri he confirms it.
put the crack pipe down Amy
“Project Youth”. I’m having a laugh because Red-faced starting 11 yesterday was an avg. 22.9 years of age. Ferguson has beaten Wenger at his own policy and actually won trophies. Pathetic, really pathetic.
cesc rise and departure is analogous to wenger’s rise and collapse. Except Cesc had the decency to leave. While wenger stays to stink the joint out and steal his 6 mill
with project youth now an open sore will wenger just go?? Please?
Best of luck Cesc hope it works out for u.
Can’t believe Wenger hasn’t been sacked yet. What a pathetic club we’ve become
I remember when Arsenal didn’t just have youngsters. Among their players there were top footballers such as Bergkamp, Henry, Ljungberg, Vieira, Pires, Kanu…
I really think Wenger started showing some years ago what he really is: a pedophile.
This already was a long time in the making but only now has it truly hit me. The video even made me cry.
WE’VE GOT CESC FABREGAS
Cheers lads, he’ll win his first trophy for us this Wednesday! Best wishes for your Champions League Qualifier.
Adios
Some of the posts here are beyond belief
you can say that again Zak!!!
Gormless cunts
Don`t like Cesc, so I couldn`t care less. Now we need a world class defender, att midfielder and a striker. Then I`ll be a happy Gooner! Or maybe we should use the money to give Barton a brain transplant;)
P.S: We should support Diaby more, we will need him this season.
Goodbye, Cesc Fabregas.
He might not have won any trophies for AFC, and whether that is through his fault or not is debatable, but the legacy he left behind is a class and beauty of football which has been an absolute joy to watch for the last 6 years. Who knows, we might go on to win a few trophies in the coming years but I will always believe that we could have, and should have won them with Cesc. Too bad for him he left too soon.
I had to stop watching that video, as I’m sat in the office and was about to begin booing like a little baby! Will watch the rest when I get home.
Great article.
I love Cesc, but love Arsenal more. It’s a sad day, but at least now we can move on.
I am happy that Cesc gets to play for his childhood club, play with his mates, and play under his boyhood idol. I am sad because it means Cesc will no longer be an Arsenal player. I believe in times like this, we must be happy for Cesc. If we ever loved him, we’d be happy in his happiness.
GS, I hope your dental appointment went well. As a dentist myself, I know how much pain can result from a dental appointment.
Underpants are an important part of a man’s wardrobe.
GS – Rest well after the dental extraction.
Moving forward do you have insider news of Wenger transfer interest? If so any offers firm up to shore our team? I hope is a central defender as well as a CAM.
I feel sad not because he left. Cesc was always going to leave one day. That day has come. In life, when something or someone we love so dearly comes and goes, it’s almost unacceptable to take. Inside of me, I know I will heal. Right now, I have a lot of anger inside me but this moment is a moment that love has brought me to. I love Cesc Fabregas as a lot of Arsenal fans do. Even with a broken fibula, he agitated to play for Arsenal and scored that penalty against Barcelona. Not everyone in this world has the capability to TRULY love like Cesc has done. His love for the club was infectious. His passion was like fire. At 24 he was at an age he had to adjust his priorities, else his career would have meant nothing. He achieved everything possible as an Arsenal player except trophies. He won the Euro, the World Cup. He was the best in his position IMO.
I’m sure he shares my anger at the way Arsenal have now become a shambles. The money will be stashed as profit. If Adebayor’s and Toure’s transfers of over 40mil was never reinvested in player transfer, I do not expect anything different.
In June, we heard that we needed players who were physically imposing from our manager. Are AOC, Campbell, Carl Jenkinson the imposing players? I still cannot believe how angry I am. How can someone be allowed to get away with these “in-your-face” LIES????
——sighs——-
Farewell Cecs,
thanks for the memories
All the best
Thanx for the services you gave to our Club Arsenal..good luck for future..Goodbye..
As a chelsea fan I do not know am I allowed to write here, but I just wanted to say how sorry I am because of Fabregas departure. I am really sad. I sympathize with you and in my club we have the same problems in reverse. Anyway, I wish you to get over his departure quickly, Arsene to buy two more defenders and that at least one of your new signings turn out to be great success. And even if you have some bad period, everything happens for reason ( changing philosophy and coach perhaps) , and I am sure your club will get over it and came out even better.
He kissed Barcelona’s badge as soon as he arrived to Camp Nou. Nice, f**king nice.
Hi everyone from Barcelona. We deeply respect your feelings.
Please, note that Fabregas has changed his name “Fabregas” at Arsenal to “Fàbregas” at FCB, as only we write in Catalonia. Cesc loves Arsenal as he loves FCB: both teams shares the same idea: We Love Football and appreciate that kind of players. In Barcelona we feel Cesc is the prodigal son that, finally, happily, returns home.
We wish you future sucess.
I’m catalan, like Cesc, and Barça supporter, and i’m so glad he’s finally back, can’t wait to see him play. Also it’s impressive how you guys loved him, for sure he loved arsenal too, the club that has given him the chance to be experienced like this at the age of 24, but his qualities will be so appreciated here too, also he will be the perfect replacement for Xavi, he will be home again, and taste the success of the golden age of his homeland club, the one he left, maybe missing his chance to live that. My condolences!
Seeing the early parts of the clip reminds me the company that Cesc deserves. He was playing amongst greats and matched them. No one in our current squad come even close. As we put it here, Song is only comparable to Viera’s pubic hair.
As a gooner, I miss him and his passion when in the red & white. As a football fan, I look forward to his growth in Barca and Spain.
Now, let’s create new heros worthy of our guns.
if one door dosen’t close another never opens
Are you seriously kidding me? This is the kind of reaction we get to our captain leaving the club? It’s not like he double crossed us, signed a new contract then joined spurs for £5! Cesc Fabregas was one of the greatest players to grace Highbury and the Emirates and Arsenal “fans” hate him the moment he leaves? Absolutely pathetic, we’re all on the same team here. Nobody wants their best player to leave, but this was inevitable because of his roots. Cesc was our captain fabtastic, but we’ll move on. AFC <3
I dont think its so much about stopping to believe in the youth project. Think its more to do with wanting to play in this team under his childhood hero, who is hinting at leaving Barca soon. Everyone knows how much Pep is loved in Barca and he has been wanting Cesc for a few years now. Its difficult to not listen to your childhood hero who is asking you to come play in the club you supported as a kid.
I still can’t get over Cesc’s departure. I feel worse than after Henry left. Because his best years were behind him, he won many trophies.. Cesc is just 24 i’m gutted that he hasn’t lifted any trophies as an Arsenal captain… It was a pleasure to watch him play and I’ll never forget him.
Thank you, Cesc.
Tis sad, it’s like losing a brother – but we couldn’t hold on to to him forever – onwards and upwards and may an exciting future await us.
Also, guess it’s time to put the ‘Cesc we can’ shirts on sale or in Barce colours, or if I was being as optimistic as other Arsenal supporters make tshirts with ‘Gervinho we can’t’
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