Pique: “The World Cup has not been a good thing for Arsenal.”
461 comments July 4th, 2010
Gerard Pique has upped the ante in the tug of war between Arsenal and Barcelona over Cesc Fabregas. He told the Daily Star Sunday:
“I have known that Cesc wanted to join Barcelona for many years – but now it is more than about wanting to do it. Now it is something he feels he must do.
The World Cup has not been a good thing for Arsenal. It has meant that he has been spending every day with myself, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Victor Valdes – and he has made his feelings very clear to us.
He is keeping his mind focused on Spain but his heart is in Barcelona. I think already in his heart he is wearing a Barcelona shirt next season.”
Watching Spain last night, it’s clear that the World Cup will have given Fabregas a taste of what playing Barcelona might be like. At one point, he was joined on the pitch by seven Barcelona players. Pep Guardiola is watching his team’s pre-season unfurl in South Africa.
Last night Cesc was out in a Johannesburg nightclub with his team-mates. He left early, but the bond between the Catalan contingent was clear. He is, in many respects, far more one of them than he is on of ours.
That said, I still doubt whether or not Barca have the financial muscle to force us to sell. We would need an offer of £50m or above to renege on declaring Cesc’s unavailability.
Unless, of course, the player makes public his desire to leave. That could make his position untenable. The month after the World Cup could be painful.
