Alex’s Song is Sung. Â The Cameroon international midfielder has worn the Arsenal jersey for the final time. Â At the end of an extraordinary journey, the player once so dreadful he was booed off by his own fans will join arguably the greatest club side in the game’s history: FC Barcelona.
On the face of it, it’s a strange transfer for both clubs and the player. Â Song is not a typical Barca player, so why have they bought him? Â He is a vital part of Arsenal’s system, so why have we sold him? Â And why has the player left a guaranteed first-team spot for a place on the Barca bench?
I suppose we could deal with those questions one at a time. Â Barca want Song because he is atypical, not in spite of the fact. Â Having lost Seydou Keita in the summer, they want a player with similar physical presence. Â His versatility also appeals: last night they lined up with Javier Mascherano in defence; Song has both the defensive attributes and the ball skills to play as an adventurous centre-half when required.
The question of why Arsenal have chosen to sell Song is far harder to answer. Â For several years now, he’s been a vital cog in our system. Â After the loss of Mathieu Flamini, he stepped up to become an integral part of the midfield. Â His improvement has been dramatic – and boy did it have to be. Â When he first stepped in to the side as an awkward, shuffling 17-year old, he looked to lack even the most basic technique. Â However, a loan spell at Charlton and the odd Carling Cup run-out dramatically improved him, and he evolved in to a competent and occasionally creative midfielder. Â Last season his progress saw him frequently playing in a more advanced position, providing assist after assist for Robin van Persie. Â Song is arguably Arsene’s greatest developmental success, so why sell him now? Â As far as I can see, there are three main reasons: economics, tactics, and attitude.
Economics: £15m for a player who cost just a couple of million from Bastia is very good business.  Song’s agent was demanding exorbitant wages, and perhaps Arsene felt that salary budget could be better invested elsewhere.
Tactics: As the manager has been so keen to point out this week, Arsenal have an abundance of central midfielders. Â If Abou Diaby stays fit and Jack Wilshere’s comeback remains vaguely on schedule, we can add them to a list that also includes Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Emmanuel Frimpong, and Francis Coquelin. Â Over the past two seasons Arsene has shifted the formation slightly to go with two deeper-lying midfielders behind one more advanced creative player. Â With the news that he’s set to replace Song with the significantly less physical Nuri Sahin, it’s clear he now feels he can afford to go without a physical, ‘destroyer’ type, opting instead for a more mobile, possession-led midfield trio.
Attitude: Arsene has admitted that Song made it plain he was keen to go. Â If rumours are to be believed, his attitude on the Asia tour was poor, and the manager was left in little doubt about the player’s desire to move on. Â It’s worth noting that after the departure of Robin van Persie, Song was the final remaining client of one Darren Dein. Â Perhaps the club wanted to take this opportunity to wipe the slate clean and rid the club of any disruptive influences in one fell swoop.
As for Song himself, he’s not a guy who lacks confidence or self belief: if he’s joining Barca, it’s because he believes he can play an important role in one of the sport’s greatest teams. Â Good luck to him – he’ll have to step it up another notch or three all over again.
So thats the whys and wherefores taken care off. Â Now on to the thornier issue of whether or not it’s a good thing for the club. Â From an economic perspective, it certainly is. Â From an attitude perspective, it probably is. Â But I do worry about it from a tactical point of view. Â Just a few weeks ago many fans were clamouring for Arsene to bring in Yann M’vila as potential support and competition for Song. Â Now we’re likely to enter the season with neither.
I believe it may have been me who originally said: “Song is not a defensive midfielder – he’s just our most defensive midfielder”. Â A neat quip, but now our most defensive midfielders are either relatively untested prospects like Coquelin and Frimpong, or guys like Arteta, Diaby, and Wilshere – midfielders who aren’t very defensive at all. Â Arteta is our most disciplined midfielder, but he lacks Song’s considerable physical clout.
It may not be a problem.  Arsene is doubtless inspired by the way the Spanish midgets hypnotized the competition during the European Championships.  A midfield containing the likes of Arteta, Wilshere, Sahin and Cazorla could prove impossible to dispossess.  But I can’t help worrying about the fact that one of the weediest midfields in the Premier League just got a whole lot weedier.
Song’s departure also puts a slightly different spin on our summer. Â A few weeks ago we had brought in Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla, and still had Van Persie. Â Now we’ve lost the Dutchman and, to most people’s surprise, Song. Â Earlier in the summer, that trio of signings looked like a considered statement of intent: we were finally loosening the purse strings to improve the squad. Â By selling Song and Van Persie, we’ve actually covered those costs entirely. Â Once again, Arsenal head towards the end of the summer in profit. Â It’s almost as if we planned it like this.
We only had one Song. Â And I can’t help but feel a little alarmed that Arsene doesn’t look in much of a rush to replace him.
Not having the hardiest constitution, or the deepest pockets, I’m not really one for football betting. Â Even if I was, I’m not sure I would put money on Bayern Munich in the forthcoming Champions League final. Â All of which means…
Fourth is now a risk we simply can’t take
We should have known something was up. A day that began with portents as ominous as Denilson returning to Arsenal could never end well. As it turned out, the return of the crab-like midfielder was the first sign of the apocalypse. The second was Chelsea eliminating Barcelona to reach the Champions League Final.
There are big implications for Arsenal. Roberto Di Matteo’s side are now just one game from snatching the Champions League Qualification spot normally awarded to the side who finishes fourth. Fourth would always have been a risk – our tie with Udinese this season showed just how treacherous the obligatory qualifying round can be. Now, with the possibility that even that opportunity to qualify might be whisked from under our feet in Munich, it’s a risk we simply cannot take.
Arsenal have three games remaining. Win them and we will be third. It is in our own hands, and letting it slip through them at this point would be criminal. We travel to Stoke on Saturday, before hosting Norwich, then going to West Brom on the final day. None of those three sides have anything in particular to play for. There is no reason we should not take nine points.
Even seven would probably be enough. The big concern is the forthcoming game at Stoke, where we traditionally struggle. Now is surely the time to try and put that hoodoo to bed; and what better place for Aaron Ramsey to recover his form than on the ground that nearly ended his career?
Transfer News
As I mentioned, it seems Denilson is on his way back to England this summer. If I were him, I wouldn’t bother unpacking – I don’t imagine it’ll be a long stay. Sao Paulo have been unable to agree an extension to his loan deal, primarily because Arsenal are looking for a permanent buyer. Denilson is one of a crop of players that also includes Manuel Almunia, Nicklas Bendtner, Carlos Vela and Andrey Arshavin who will be shunted off the wage bill in an attempt to fund new contracts for the likes of Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott.
Congratulations to Chelsea
Despite the fact it’s something of a disastrous result for Arsenal fans, I can only offer my congratulations to Chelsea on an extraordinary performance at the Nou Camp. There is a lesson to be learnt there: whilst Chelsea aren’t your traditional underdog, they showed that no side is unbeatable, no contest pre-determined. With the exception of the idiotic John Terry, they were a credit to themselves and the Premier League.
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?â€. Sadly, it seems this love affair is, for now, over. It’s less “Cesc We Canâ€, and more “Cesc we could’veâ€.
A transfer saga that has hung its miserable shadow over us since the day Cesc Fabregas first arrived in London, and that has spent two years showering uncertainty on to our captain and our club, may be about to end.
Widespread reports in England and indeed Barcelona (click images on the right) suggest a deal is imminent. Of course, we’ve been here before, but the sheer weight of speculation suggests there may be fire at the heart of all this smoke. The impending commencement of the season, too, may have hurried negotiations along.
Barcelona’s supposed final offer, which they expect Arsenal to accept today, totals €40m. It’s unclear whether that’s a full €40m, or if the Catalan club are including in that figure the €5m Arsenal will save by not paying Cesc any kind of loyalty bonus. Whatever they end up paying, it won’t be more than about €29m upfront – and it’ll be a bargain. Cesc will go for marginally more than Andy Carroll.
Sport: "Cesc - Yes"
As I said a few days ago, the specifics of the deal don’t matter that much to me. In fact, I’d happily lose out on a million euros or so if it meant we could get it done quickly. Going in to the new season with this huge issue resolved and a new captain appointed would provide a welcome boost.
When the deal is finally done, both clubs will declare the fee “undisclosed”. Barca well tell the Catalan press they got a bargain, and Arsenal will brief the English press that they got a fair price. We’ll never know the truth.
There’s plenty more to say about Cesc and his departure. I’ll save it for when any of this speculation is confirmed. The next days promise to be painful, but I think it’s best for everyone now that this gets sorted. The night is darkest just before the dawn; we can and will emerge from this still unbowed, still Arsenal.
Parting with Cesc will certainly hurt more than seeing off Samir Nasri. If rumours are to be believed, he could follow Cesc through the door marked ‘exit’, with Manchester City ready to pay upwards of £20m for the midfielder. If we’re going to lose Nasri, I’d rather do it now for that sort of money than in a year for nothing. He played for France in their 1-1 draw with Chile last night, so if he is left out at Newcastle on Saturday it’s safe to say he has little future at Arsenal. If, that is, he’s still here.
An Arsenal executive told the BBC that “all the funds generated by the sale will be reinvested in new players”. I don’t doubt the board would be willing to do just that, but the final decision, as ever, will rest with Arsene. Will he be pragmatic enough to forget some of his principles and spend the money required to settle an unsteady ship? Time will tell.
One signing that does appear imminent is that of Joel Campbell. I told you on July 29th he’d agreed to join, and last night a Costa Rican journalist who met the U-20 international side off the plane from the World Cup in Colombia confirmed to me that Campbell intends to hold a press conference announcing his decision on Friday before travelling to England on Saturday to finalise things. The club have applied for a special talent visa as they did with Ryo Miyaichi, and, if successful, would make Campbell part of the first-team squad for 2011/12.
Right, that’ll do for now. Something tells me I might be back here before the day is out.
According to reports in Cataluña, yesterday’s meeting between Arsenal and Barcelona officials ended without agreement on a fee for Cesc Fabregas. Barca’s latest offer still falls short of Arsenal’s £40m valuation, and the saga looks set to run on in to the start of the season.
Whilst Arsenal are undoubtedly right to push Barca to pay as high a fee as possible, the truth is that I don’t think it matters too much exactly what the final amount is. What difference does a few million euros make, really? The fact is that Arsenal are losing their captain against their will. Having a little bit more money in the bank won’t make that blow any easier to suffer.
The only figure that matters to me is how much is reinvested in the squad. Cesc Fabregas cost Arsenal less than a million pounds in compensation. His sale will generate an enormous profit, and one that, if we’re serious about always planning to keep Cesc, is not one we’ve factored in to any budget. Without going in to the economic detail – mainly because I don’t know enough about it – it’s money that we should be able to go and spend.
And boy do we need to. Partly to fill the gaps in the squad that remain from last season, but also to put a positive spin on what has been a horribly draining story for the football club.
Arsene says he understands the fans’ frustrations, and is doing his best to recruit new signings, adding that “next week, something might happen”. It’s hardly definitive, but it’s something. We can hope.
The preposterous nature of Fabregas situation reached new heights yesterday when, after showing off the fact he was training like a good boy, the club elected not to take him to Lisbon. Arsene said:
“Everybody is free to think what they want. We cannot stop people raising questions.
He is just coming back from injury and is not ready to play in a game. But he is not injured.â€
I have to say I’m amused by the idea that the solution to Cesc’s lack of practise is to stop him playing in, well, ‘practise matches’. It’s clear there’s more to this than meets the eye, and sooner or later Arsenal are going to have to be honest about that, otherwise Arsene will find himself facing some very difficult questions if and when the skipper is left out of competetive games.
Also missing from the 19-man squad are the injured Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Abou Diaby, Carlos Vela, and Laurent Koscielny. Youngsters Frimpong, Miyaichi, Lansbury and Miquel are included.
So tonight an Arsenal team will line up without either Fabregas or Nasri. Might have to get used to that…
